RM 3/c John Michael Cavallaro was born on January 6, 1922, in River Forest, Illinois, to Rosario Cavallaro and Angelina Arigo-Cavallaro. He had three brothers, Ben, Leo, and Maurice. The family moved to Forest Park, Illinois, when John was five and lived at 133 Rockford Avenue. He graduated from Grant-White School in Forest Park and Proviso Township High School, where he played football and basketball. It is known that students who left school for the military were able to receive their high school diplomas while serving in the military. At some point, he served in the Naval Reserve at Norfolk, Virginia. He may or may not have received his high school diploma while on active duty.
John registered with Selective Service on June 26, 1942, and named his father as his contact person. Being he had served in the Navy Reserves, he enlisted in the US Navy on September 14, 1942, and was issued the Serial Number 72, 489, 64. He most likely trained at Great Lakes Naval Station, Great Lakes, Illinois. It is not known where he was stationed after this, but he was assigned to the USS Pringle. When he joined the ship’s crew is not known.
On February 6, 1943, the Pringle escorted the HMS Victorious from the Naval Ship Yard at Norfolk to Guadalcanal arriving there on May 30th. She then did patrol duty off the Solomon Islands. The night of June 17th, the Pringle, the USS Waller, and the USS Saufley attacked three Japanese destroyers, sinking three of them, off Vanga Point, Kolombangara Island. It also took part in the operations around Marianas before returning to San Francisco, California. While on leave, he married June Hatch in October 1943. The ship sailed for Hawaii on October 19th. The ship left Pearl Harbor, on November 10th to take part in the invasion of the Philippines. During the invasion, she was hit by a kamikaze in her after deckhouse killing 11 crew men, wounding 20, and destroying a 40 millimeter gun and two 5 millimeter guns. The ship was sent to drydock to be repaired.
After being repaired, the Pringle was sent to Okinawa for the invasion of the island on February 17th. As part of Destroyer Division 90, she escorted transports, minesweepers, and provided fire support. She shot down two kamikazes on April 15th. The Japanese returned on the 16th the kamikazes returned this time one plane crashed through the Pringle’s superstructure behind its first smoke stack. It is not known if it was one 1,000 pound bomb or two 500 pond bombs went off buckling the ship’s keel and splitting the ship in two. before its fire room. Of the 328 crew members 258 made it safely into the water while 69 men died. Rm3c John Cavallaro was one of the men who died.
It is not known when his wife learned of his death. Since he was lost at sea. John’s name appears in the Honolulu Memorial Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Honolulu, Hawaii
