Project 888
Name: George Arcade MASSIER
Rank / Rating: S1-Seaman First ClassService #: 852 27 05 DOB: Apr 22, 1914 From: Chicago, Illinois Parents: Went Aboard: Sep 01, 1943 Age When Ship Went Down: 31 years, 3 months, 8 days Spouse: Florence Rosalea Massier Children: Grandchildren: Bio Submitted By: Jennifer Reichert (Neighbor) |
 MASSIER, George A |
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Seaman First Class Massier was born on April 22, 1914 in Chicago, Illinois. He joined the crew of USS Indianapolis on September 1, 1943.
He was the eldest of three brothers who lived in Naperville, Illinois. Pre-World War II, all three brothers (and their father) worked at the Kroehler Furniture Manufacturing Co. in Naperville, Illinois. The Massier brothers’ parents were both immigrants (born in Romania)
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 George completed his Selective Service registration on October 16, 1940 at the age of 26. His draft card (Registration Card D.S.S. Form 1) lists his wife (Florence Rosalea Massier) as the “Name of Person who will always know your address.” At that time, George and his wife were living in Aurora, Illinois. George subsequently enlisted in the United States Navy on May 24, 1943. He joined the crew of USS Indianapolis (CA-35) on September 1, 1943. He was a crewman onboard Indy for almost two years before his death on July 30, 1945.
George was one of very few recovered persons who were able to be identified and receive a formal BURIAL at SEA by USS Helm DD-388. A commemorative marker was placed in the River Hills Memorial Park in Batavia, Kane County, Illinois.
George and his two brothers all served in the United States Armed Forces.
Just over a month after George reported onboard USS Indianapolis, his brother, Arnold, was captured on October 31, 1943. Given that Arnold was a POW for more than one and a half years, it was very likely that Arnold was unable to communicate with his family during his period of imprisonment. Arnold was able to escape his German imprisonment on April 13, 1945. It is possible that Arnold was not able to communicate with George before the Indy set sail on July 16, 1945. George may not have known his brother Arnold’s fate before his tragic death on July 30, 1945. After subsequently returning to the states, Arnold was hospitalized in Coral Gables, Florida. It was just moments before going under full anesthesia for surgery that Arnold was listening to a radio in the operating room when a broadcaster broke in with a newsflash that USS Indianapolis had been sunk. Arnold turned white and the surgeon asked what was the matter. Arnold replied that his brother was serving on board the ship.
After the war ended, both of George’s brothers moved back home to care for their parents. Arnold was quoted as saying “This has been too hard. We’ve lost George; let’s just take care of each other.” The brothers never left their home, never married and after his parents and brother Adam passed away, Arnold remained until his death in February 2020 at age 97.
The following photograph is of George’s two brothers (Adam and Arnold) in their military uniforms.
Most of the above family history was shared in a February 28, 2021 article that was published in the Naperville Sun newspaper. Additional information about George (Date of Birth, wife’s name, draft records, enlistment date, etc.) was identified through a search using Ancestry.com.
All of the above information has provided a glimpse into the trauma and emotional shock that fell upon the Massier parents, their two remaining sons and George’s wife in the years following George’s tragic death aboard USS Indianapolis. Diligent search has not found that George and Florence ever had a child. With no future generations to carry the Massier story forward, it was a neighbor girl, Jennifer Reichert, who shared the above story with the Naperville Sun and is preserving the legacy of the Massier family’s sacrifices and the tragic death of George A. Massier during World War II.
Burial at Sea
George was one of the twenty-eight crew members picked up and identified by USS Helm between Sunday August 5, 1945 to Monday August 6, 1945.
It not being possible to bring George aboard for the official Burial at Sea Ceremony he was placed in a sea bag, weighted with two 5" shells and "committed to the deep" by his fellow seamen.
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