Written by Todd DePastino
One of the oldest World War II veterans in the world passed away on April 6 at age 108. Bill Monfort was born on December 17, 1916, and joined the Navy at age 18 in 1935. He grew up in Plains, Georgia, and knew well “little Jimmy Carter,” who was eight years younger.
Bill spent 10 years in the Navy and achieved the rank of Chief Petty Officer, Senior Radioman. His principal ships were the USS Mahan (DD-364) and USS Claxton (DD-571). He seemed to serve everywhere in the Pacific, from Pearl Harbor to Iwo Jima, Okinawa, and the Leyte Gulf.
Bill Monfort in WWII, front second from right
I got to know Bill at the invitation of Jay Wertz, who, with the Zephyrhills Museum of Military History, is the force behind the excellent World War II History Conferences held in Lakeland, Florida, in 2024 and nearby Tampa in 2025. My job at the conferences was to lead storytelling sessions with the World War II veterans at the events, headlined by Bill. Bill’s daughter Neppie Alexander and son-in-law Don devoted themselves to sharing Bill with people like me and others at the conference who treasured his story.
In an email to me, Jay calls Bill “a true American hero”:
At sea on a destroyer as a radioman during the Pearl Harbor attack, he transmitted the message “Attack on Pearl Harbor – Not a Drill” to his ship, USS Mahan, part of the carrier USS Lexington task force which was away from the base delivering planes to Midway Island. From that time until the end of World War II, Bill served continuously in some of the most accomplished destroyer squadrons in the navy. A devoted family man, astute historian and successful air traffic professional, he continued to enlighten audiences with his stories and rural Georgia humor until shortly before his death. He will be greatly missed!
Bill shared his full history in a Library of Congress interview in 2012. You can see him talking late in his life in many TV news interviews.
Jay suggests reading up on the experiences of the USS Mahan, which was part of Task Force 12 escorting the Lexington to Midway. He also directs readers to the riveting story of the USS Claxton at Leyte, where the ship was victim of the first mass kamikaze attack of the war. The ship’s Damage Control Officer wrote history here.
Thank you, Bill, for your service in the war and the history you generously shared with us over the years!
