Augusta's two James Greens

Dec. 7—AUGUSTA — Satisfied he'd finished his journey to honor the nine men from Augusta stationed at Pearl Harbor during the Dec. 7, 1941 attack, John Englesby relaxed after three years of research into the little city's World War II veterans.

His respite lasted less than a day, though, when he got a call letting him know there was a 10th veteran from Augusta who experienced the "day of infamy" first-hand.

"I was stunned. I was absolutely blown out of the water," recalled Englesby.

From his home in Madison, he'd led the effort to recognize his dad, Philo N.K. "Pinky" Englesby, and others from Augusta who were serving at the military installation in Hawaii when it was hit by a surprise attack by the Japanese. He'd visited Augusta on a snowy Dec. 7, 2021 on the 80th anniversary of the attack to commemorate engraved memorial tiles with names of nine servicemen who hailed from the small Eau Claire County community, including James L. Green.

Steven Thompson of the Eau Claire County town of Washington saw a newspaper article on the ceremony the following day. He gave it a real close look — scrutinizing a photo of the memorial with a magnifying glass — because Green's name and branch of service just didn't look right to him.

Genealogy his hobby, Thompson had studied his wife's family tree and knew she had an uncle named James Green from Augusta who survived the Pearl Harbor attack. But that relative had the middle initial "P" — not "L." And he was in the Army Air Force, not the Navy as the memorial said.

This was not a case of errors, though. Both Thompson and John Englesby had done exhaustive research into James Green of Augusta, each backed up with solid records documenting their lives.

A mutual friend — Suzy Matysik, daughter of fellow Pearl Harbor survivor Loyd A. Zook — connected John Englesby with Thompson so the two could work through this conundrum.

The duo found that even from a small rural city of only 1,500 people, it's not impossible that two unrelated men around the same age with virtually identical names were present at one of the most momentous events in U.S. history.

"By doing research we found out there were two James Greens in Augusta," Thompson said.

As shown on the memorial, James Lenard Green was indeed in the U.S. Navy. He was born in Cadott in 1920, graduated from Augusta High School, served aboard a ship during World War II and then returned to rural Augusta where he lived the rest of his life until he died in 2003, based on John Engelsby's research.

James Perry Green was born Dec. 14, 1917 in Minneapolis, but then moved to live with relatives in Augusta while he was growing up. He also graduated from the high school there. He enlisted in the Army Air Force in October 1940 and was stationed in Hawaii at Hickam Field, which is adjacent to the Pearl Harbor U.S. Naval Base. When the attack happened, James P. Green was just a few days shy of his 24th birthday.

John Englesby is still researching specific details of James P. Green's actions during the attack and for the rest of his service during World War II. Information from Green's official military record indicated that after Pearl Harbor, he was stationed in the Pacific Theater.

Following the war, James P. Green worked as an inspector in the aircraft industry in California, ultimately retiring in 1977, according to his obituary. He later moved to New York state where he died on March 22, 2001 in the city of Niagara Falls. Though married for 55 years to wife Rose, the couple never had children.

This spring, John Englesby ordered an engraved black tile be made for James P. Green. In early June, the tile made by Johnson Monument in Chippewa Falls joined others on a large stone tablet at Augusta Veterans Memorial Park.

Shortly thereafter, Steven Thompson, his wife Rhonda and her sister Beth Johnson made the short drive to Augusta to see James P. Green's newly placed tile.

Rhonda Thompson had never met her uncle as her family had lost touch with him and he lived far from Wisconsin after the war.

She's glad to now know a little more about her lost uncle and his place in history.

"I'm honored we figured him out and wish I would've met him," Rhonda Thompson said.

Today marks the 81st anniversary of the Pearl Harbor attack, which President Franklin D. Roosevelt dubbed "a date which will live in infamy."

The attack killed about 2,400 Americans, most of them sailors on the ships moored at the naval base. The explosion and sinking of the battleship USS Arizona alone killed 1,104.

While it had been a sneak attack by the Japanese intended to cripple the U.S.'s Pacific fleet, Pearl Harbor became a rallying cry and the United States joined World War II the following day.