By Richard Price
Grafton News Editor –
Not much is known about this veteran. He was officially lost at sea, killed in action during World War II, according to a new shiny bronze plaque resting at a family plot on top of a small hill. But since he never came home, some might consider him on eternal patrol keeping our country safe.
U.S. Navy Petty Officer William Francis Dohlus, Jr., an electrician’s mate, first class, in the U.S. Navy was, along with 75 shipmates, on board the USS Cisco, a Balao-class submarine on her first war patrol on Sept. 20, 1943.
The ship never returned, denying many families the closure a traditional funeral offers: a service, burial and headstone. But 73 years later, on what would have been Dohlus’ 100th birthday, family, soldiers and well wishers saluted him during a brief but meaningful ceremony at St. Philip’s Cemetery, thanks to the efforts of a few who made sure the new plaque will be a lasting memorial.
On May 17, retired and active soldiers (or their sons) gathered around the site to honor the man who died when he was only 27. Enlisted sailors from the USS Constitution played taps and handed Dohlus’ surviving family the American flag. The ceremony was sponsored by the American Legion Delisle Goulet Post 92, VFW Post 1497 of Grafton, Westborough VFW Post 9013, Northborough American Legion Post 234 and The Military Order of the Purple Heart.
“It’s hard when we lose somebody and it’s hard when we can’t bring them home,” said Adam Costello, Grafton’s veteran agent during the graveside memorial service. “But we can recover the memories. I’m glad that’s why we are all here today. Even though William’s remains might not be back here, we can remember him and tell the story as we know it.”
Dohlus’ nephew and niece, Bill Pelland and Donna Lebeouf Brideau, attended last Tuesday’s ceremony to remember “Uncle Will.” It was a cloudy morning at St. Philip’s where a prayer was read by veteran’s chaplain, Walter Wojnar. A citation from the state’s House of Representatives was also presented and a ceremonial rifle team from Post 234 and 9013 offered their services.
Little is known about Dohlus. An undated Navy photo showed him at 5 foot 8 inches as he stood sternly in front of a height chart. He was wearing a dark uniform that day, his blonde hair combed back. He was a handsome kid who likely turned a few heads.
Here is what else we know: He was born in the Village of Farnumsville in 1916 and lived on Providence Road. He was the son of William and Clara Dohlus, whom he left behind along with three sisters and two brothers so he could enlist in the Navy on July 8, 1940.
We know he was on the Cisco when it was sent on war patrol in the Philippines. We also know that during that time, Allied forces were fighting the Empire of Japan in a series of land and sea battles in the Pacific called the New Georgia Campaign in the central Solomon Islands, south of where the Cisco was patrolling.
On Sept. 28, 1943 Japanese records tell of sighting a submarine leaking oil that day in an area where the Cisco was known to have been the only Allied submarine. The records also state this submarine was sunk by bombs and depth charges. The Cisco was presumed to have been lost in action west of Mindanao, in the Philippines.
We also know that more than 3,600 U.S. submarines were lost during World War II, according to Paul W. Wittmer, an historian who has written extensively on the subject.
But the Navy did not officially declare Dohlus and his other shipmates dead until Jan. 28, 1946. “It was the uncertainty of the times,” said Pelland who never met his uncle. “The world was a different place back then. When they went out to sea they were out to sea. The communication was different.” He also said his grandmother, who died after a stroke in 1948, might have believed that a memorial was only given to those who are physically buried. “If there was no body, then no marker,” he said. “We never questioned it.”
The monument finally became a reality when family members asked Costello and Andy Kjellberg, a Vietnam veteran and member of Grafton’s Trustees of Soldiers & Sailors Memorials for help. They, in turn, filled out an application with the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Why it wasn’t placed years ago is lost in time, said Kjellberg. He said there might be other families out there in the same predicament as the Dohlus family and that it is common for some veterans and their families not to pursue benefits. “Perhaps the family didn’t know they were entitled to it,” he said.
Back at Saint Philip’s Cemetery, as Costello was finishing his speech about Dohlus, he turned to the family and the veterans standing at attention and said, “Happy Birthday William.”
Grafton veterans with questions on potential benefits are encouraged to contact Veteran’s Agent Adam Costello at 508-839-5335, ext. 1123.
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