One of the last men who served on the USS Nevada during World War II has died

One of the last remaining veterans of the World War II-era battleship the USS Nevada has died.

Joseph MacDonald, who served at the invasion of Normany, Iwo Jima and Okinawa as a boatswain mate third class, was 100 when he died in St. Augustine, Florida, on March 17, according to an online obituary.

“Without his generation, where would we be now?” said grandson Geoff Price. “It’s crazy to think how things would’ve been had people like my grandfather not stood up when they were needed.”

The Nevada, a 27,500-ton battleship, was built in Massachusetts and commissioned in 1916. Though it has not received as much name recognition as other ships like the USS Arizona, which was sunk during the attack on Pearl Harbor, it had a distinguished service record and saw action at Pearl Harbor, D-Day, Iwo Jima and Okinawa. It was the only battleship to get underway during the attack on Pearl Harbor, according to the U.S. Department of Defense.

John Galloway, a historian of the Nevada, had believed the last veteran of the vessel was Dick Ramsey, whom the Las Vegas Review-Journal profiled in November. He did not know MacDonald, but thought his death was significant.

“We are at the epilogue of a great book being closed,” he said, adding, “We’re probably within three or four years of every World War II veteran being gone.”

Another veteran of the Nevada, Charles Sehe, who was on the ship during Pearl Harbor, died in November at age 101.

In a 2023 interview, MacDonald said he was from a family of sailors and was drafted in 1943. Being drafted “didn’t bother me at all,” he said. “I was glad.”

“You were either in combat or you were headed for combat,” MacDonald said, but morale on the ship was good. “We all knew what we were doing,” he said, “We were well-trained.”

Even as an elderly man, he was able to recall the ship’s movements in intricate detail and seeing German shells explode in the water on the side of the boat. “It got a little bit scary,” he said.

MacDonald’s daughter, Andrea MacDonald, said his rank meant that he was in charge of other sailors.

His group handled ammunition. He remembered an incident in which one man was crouched when a Japanese shell exploded in the compartment below. Shrapnel came through the deck and was propelled into the crewmate’s left leg and forearm.

After the war, MacDonald served in the U.S. Border Patrol. His daughter said he was the oldest living Border Patrol agent.

A devout Catholic, MacDonald was quiet and humble. But he was proud of the Nevada, she said.

Grandson Bryan Ravlin described his grandfather as “cheerful, optimistic, positive.” He was someone who had genuine interest in others’ lives, Ravlin said, and “loved to see people do well.”

On the ship, Ravlin said, his grandfather experienced horror and terror, but from a distance. He said MacDonald “hated to talk about himself,” but would tell stories about the ship.

He had difficulty talking about his experience at Normandy, though. Price called his grandfather choking up when the subject came up.

“I enjoyed what I did,” said MacDonald in the 2023 interview. “I thought I was doing my duty as a citizen.”

At the time, he didn’t realize how significant battles such as Normandy and Iwo Jima would ultimately be.

“It was another engagement we were going to be involved in,” he said. “We didn’t know enough about it to worry about it too much.”

Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.