Setting the Record Straight

First published in Messages from the Arizona, December 2010 issue

Hubert Aaron is incorrectly listed on many casualty lists and other modern resources as “Hubert Charles Titus Aaron”. He is the first name on every list and inscribed (correctly) on the Memorial Wall. Let's get this right! His Birth Certificate shows no middle name. He is listed on most muster rolls and crew data sheets as Aaron, Hubert (n). According to USS Arizona Survivor, Vincent James "Jim" Vlach, the use of (n) after a name on the muster rolls designates no middle name (not used on final ROC). Other government documents from that time show him as simply Hubert Aaron. Also note that the Memorial Wall lists him as only “H. Aaron” with no other initials. (See Supporting Documents below for reference)

I believe the transcription error was first was made when the Casualty by States list was created decades ago and the first name on the Arkansas list was a mix of Hubert Aaron and Charles Titus Anderson. On the original Casualty by States list under Arkansas the listing is “Aaron, Charles Titus” and rate of CM2c.  This was taken from Charles Titus Anderson, CM2/c from California. From there, the only correction that appears to have been made over time was the addition of his first name “Hubert” and correcting his rate to F2/c, leaving the incorrect transcription of “AARON, Hubert Charles Titus, F2/c” on most lists today, which is incorrect.

In an interview for the Texarkana Gazette in 2011, his family only refers to him as Hubert Aaron. It would be logical to think if his name was Hubert "Charles Titus" Aaron, they surely would have mentioned it in the article. It is true he may have had a middle name that was not on any official documents but may be listed in a family bible, church record, or other family documents and memorabilia, but again it seems logical to me the family would have mentioned it. One thing is fact, his name was NOT Hubert Charles Titus Aaron.

Though I have been trying to get this corrected for over 20 years without much success, I sincerely hope that Hubert Aaron's name will finally be corrected in all publications both on the internet and future printed publications. If you have any questions, please This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Thank you. ~ N. A. Nease

Supporting Documents

Click Here to View Hubert Aaron's complete profile.

Information researched and compiled by N. A. Nease.
May not be reprinted in any form, other than non-profit educational use, without prior written permission of the author.