The late James Combs of Rochelle served in the United States Navy from 1943-1946. Combs served during World War II and was on the USS Suwannee during the Battle of Leyte Gulf off the coast of the Philippines on Oct. 23, 1944.

After growing up in southern Illinois, Combs joined the Navy on May 21, 1943. He was assigned as an electrician’s mate second class aboard the USS Suwannee. There were a total of 26 U.S. ships in the Battle of Leyte Gulf. Only 20 remained after the fight, including the USS Suwannee.

The USS Suwannee was hit twice by Japanese kamikaze attack planes during the battle, which left holes in the flight deck large enough for a semi truck to fit through. Combs was hit by shrapnel during the attacks and wounded. Amid the chaos, he worked to help a wounded friend up flight decks, only to find he had died.

Combs was unable to report to a roll call in the days that followed, and was reported killed in action on Oct. 26, 1944. Eight hundred eighty men were killed in the attacks, each one receiving a military burial at sea at night to not draw further attacks. A list of those killed that mistakenly included James Combs was telegraphed stateside and officers were dispatched to the home of his parents to report him killed in action.

The USS Suwannee was repaired by survivors to return it to the harbor, where each of the injured were given a three-month leave. Combs was discharged and began his return home. He remained in the Navy Reserves until May 19, 1946.

What happened when he returned home was chronicled by Combs’s great-grandson, John Combs, in a history report done for Veterans Day in 2017 at Rochelle Township High School.

“I don’t know if great-grandpa knew he had been reported killed in action until he walked up to his parents’ home,” John Combs wrote. “My great-great-grandma saw him walking across the yard and slapped him to be sure he was real and not a ghost.”

James Combs earned a Purple Heart for his courageous actions in the Navy. He eventually moved to Rochelle to work for Del Monte Foods as an electrician. It was there he met his wife and started his family. He also served the Rochelle Fire Department as assistant chief. James Combs died Oct. 26, 2006, 62 years to the day he was declared dead in 1944.

Chris Combs, James’s grandson, never heard his grandfather or the rest of his family talk much about his Navy service, the battle or how he came home. Chris worked as a Navy subcontractor at age 19 on ships, and went to San Diego and Pearl Harbor for the work, two places his grandfather was at in the Navy.

“He was 19 years old when he went into the Navy,” Chris Combs said. “I finished up in Pearl Harbor and came back to San Diego and then flew home. He and my grandma came and picked me up in Chicago. I was the same age as he was when I went and did that. He never said much about his service. The few things he did say, you better have been paying attention. When my son did a report in high school on his service, that was the first time I heard a lot about it.”

Chris Combs recalls his grandfather as a soft-spoken family man. He grew up in the Depression Era and wartime America, which Chris said made his grandfather a thankful man later in life. James Combs enjoyed auctions and antiques. He served the community as a Boy Scout leader, along with his work with the Rochelle Fire Department.

“I remember Thanksgivings and Christmases where he would leave for an emergency call,” Chris Combs said. “Now I look back at our interactions and think about them, knowing what I know about him now. He became a firefighter after his service. I think he did because of the kamikaze attacks and the fire and trying to help his friend up the decks. And he wasn’t able to save him. I think that may have been what drove him to become a firefighter and EMT.”

Chris Combs has enjoyed learning more about his grandfather’s military service and the story of the USS Suwannee in recent years. It’s helped him to find an appreciation for what James Combs and the others on the ship did, even though many of them didn’t talk much about it after returning home to their families. He urges family members of other veterans to learn what they can and appreciate it.

“People have already done a lot of the historical work and it’s out there,” Chris Combs said. “You can get full ship’s logs. A lot of history is forgotten. And I think about how young a lot of the people on the ships were. He was 19. And then they went on to do great things later on in life. I think a lot of it had to do with being grateful to be alive. This is about that ship and everyone on it. An elevator shaft was hit by a kamikaze and they all worked to get stuff back up and operational again. They were fighting fires and planes coming in and carrying the wounded. They were all working together.”

The Oct. 26 date of James Combs being reported killed in action, and his passing 62 years later, saw another solemn parallel recently for the Combs family. A celebration of life was held on that date in 2024 for John Combs, the grandson that chronicled James’ service in 2017.

John Combs died at age 24 on Oct. 4, 2024, after being struck by a train in Montgomery, Alabama. John was in the South at that time working as a lineman helping with Hurricane Helene recovery efforts in the days beforehand. His death is shrouded in uncertainty due to missing details and out-of-character behavior he exhibited in the days that led up to it.

After storm recovery work in Savannah, Georgia, John Combs was admitted to a hospital for being disoriented, pale and sweaty. After leaving the hospital, he attempted to fly home but was removed from the boarding process due to his behavior. The next day, John’s phone was pinged in Montgomery, Alabama. Questions still remain about how he got there and what led to his uncharacteristic behavior and death. Chris Combs and his family continue to ask questions of numerous entities to find answers about John’s death.

The date parallel between his son’s celebration of life and his grandfather being reported killed in action has made James Combs’s service mean more to Chris Combs.

“I woke up the morning of John’s celebration of life and the date rang a bell in my mind,” Chris Combs said. “I reached into my desk and had it on a piece of paper. It was 80 years to the day. I have bears made out of shirts that belonged to John and my grandfather. Now, they both sit on top of the Navy porthole my grandfather had with his medals in it. John was always interested in history. He liked old things and the old ways and the simpleness of life.”

Honoring our American Hero is a feature on local veterans that runs once a month in the Rochelle News-Leader. To submit a veteran or service member for consideration, please email Jeff Helfrich at jhelfrich@shawmedia.com.