Please click here to view a student eulogy for John Yancey recorded at Little Rock National Cemetery in 2026: https://youtu.be/47F0Y9uT8YE

Biography

Early Life 
John Howard Yancey was born on April 27, 1918, in Plumerville, Arkansas. His parents were Mary Ethel and John Benjamin Yancey. His father was a farmer and later worked as a gas station attendant. Mary Ethel stayed at home. In addition to John Howard, the couple had two other sons, John and Herman. 

On September 15, 1926, the couple divorced. Yancey went to live with his father, who eventually remarried a woman named Flora, a school teacher. On August 30, 1931, John Yancey Sr. died, and the boys went to live with their mother.

Yancey graduated from Little Rock Central High School in 1939. He later attended Ouachita Baptist College for two years, where he studied psychology. While in college, he played varsity baseball and football. He also enjoyed hunting with a 12-gauge shotgun. 

In the summer of 1940, he served as an athletic instructor at the Kramer Summer Camp in Little Rock, Arkansas, where he taught boys the fundamentals of football and wrestling.

During the summer of 1941, Yancey took part in the Civilian Pilot Training program, designed to rapidly expand the pool of trained pilots in the United States. 

He left school in the winter of 1941 to join the United States Marine Corps.

Homefront 
Plumerville, Arkansas, is a small rural town near Little Rock that underwent significant change during World War II. Arkansas became an important location for military manufacturing and training because of its remote location, natural resources, and mild climate. Ordnance plants near Plumerville produced bombs and explosives, helping move the state beyond its agricultural economy. Increased industry led to expanded electric power from Arkansas Power and Light, supporting both war production and civilian needs.

Agriculture remained important, with farmers raising livestock, growing cotton, and cultivating rice, while families planted Victory Gardens. Residents supported the war through rationing, scrap drives, and the purchase of war bonds. However, many workers left Arkansas for higher-paying jobs in other states, and teacher shortages hurt the education system. Women, African Americans, young people, and others joined the workforce, though segregation continued.

Arkansas was also home to Japanese American incarceration camps at Rohwer and Jerome after Executive Order 9066. Many incarcerees came from California and lived behind barbed wire, including thousands of schoolchildren. Meanwhile, Camp Robinson became a major U.S. Army training center and also housed German prisoners of war. 

Overall, World War II transformed Arkansas economically, socially, and militarily, connecting the state more closely to the rest of the nation.

Military Experience 
John Howard Yancey enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps as a private on December 31, 1941, in Little Rock, Arkansas. On February 17, 1942, he qualified as an expert rifleman. On March 3, he joined the 9th Marines, 1st Battalion, Company B, and was later promoted to private first class. 

Yancey became the platoon guide of the 2nd Marine Raider Battalion, Company F, on April 23, 1942. This would be his unit throughout the war. His unit was sent to Pearl Harbor, Hawaiʻi, to prepare for battle in the Pacific. On May 21, while aboard USS J. Franklin Bell, he was promoted again, to corporal. His unit arrived on Guadalcanal on September 22, 1942. 

On November 30, 1942, Corporal John Yancey earned a Navy Cross “for extraordinary heroism” on Guadalcanal. He led his squad into a surprise attack on more than 100 enemy combatants. Even though he was vastly outnumbered, “he charged into the group, his automatic weapon blazing.” Because of his daring example, the squad completely overwhelmed the enemy, killing over 50 of them while sending the rest running. Not a single member of his squad was lost. 

After the battle of Guadalcanal, Yancey was sent back to Camp Elliott, California. Yancey spent the summer of 1943 serving as an instructor. That fall, he joined the Candidates Detail, Infantry Battalion, TransCenter Candidates Class. He graduated from the Candidates Class at Marine Base Quantico, Virginia, the next year, and was discharged from enlisted service on March 21, 1944, to accept his commission as a second lieutenant. Upon his discharge, he was awarded the Good Conduct Medal. 

Not much is known about Yancey’s military service immediately after this, but we do know he served in the Marine Reserves. He also attended the University of Arkansas and played football for the Razorbacks. He married Jo Ann Campbell on January 15, 1950, in Benton, Arkansas.

When the Korean War broke out, Yancey was 32 years old. He volunteered to return to active duty service. He served as a platoon leader with the 1st Marine Division, 7th Marines,  2nd Battalion, Company E. At the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea, from November 27 to 28, 1950, Yancey defended his platoon in extreme conditions, suffering over 90% casualties while holding off massive Chinese forces. Despite being severely wounded multiple times, he continued leading counterattacks, earning his second Navy Cross. 

The Navy Cross citation stated that Yancey, “bravely rushed into the thick of the fighting in a daring attempt to rally the men and seal the gap in the lines.” It also stated that after the company commander had been killed, Yancey “unhesitatingly assumed command and boldly made his way from one platoon to another in the face of intense enemy fire, shouting words of encouragement to the men, seeking aid for the casualties, and directing the defense of the vital terrain.”

After the Korean War, Yancey returned to the Marine Corps Reserve as a captain commanding the 6th Rifle Company in Little Rock. He remained active in the Reserve despite lasting combat injuries. His military record is marked by bravery, tactical skill, and leadership under fire in two major conflicts, which is why General Lew Walt suggested that Yancey serve as his executive officer during the Vietnam War. Unfortunately, because of Yancey’s injuries, the Marine Corps rejected this idea.

Veteran Experience 
The Yanceys went on to have a son, Stuart, and four daughters, Anne, Dena, Laura, and Mary. The family opened Yancey’s, a liquor store, in the Heights neighborhood in Little Rock for decades. Yancey also worked in real estate.

During the segregation crisis at Central High between 1957 and 1959, the Yanceys were involved in the fight for integration. The desegregation of Central High School gained national attention on September 3, 1957, when Governor Orval Faubus mobilized the Arkansas National Guard to prevent nine African American students from entering the school. Little Rock high schools were closed at the start of the 1958 school year. On September 12, 1958, the Women’s Emergency Committee to Open Our Schools (WEC) was formed that summer to combat the closings. Yancey’s wife was a member of this group.

In the 1960s, Yancey decided to run for the state senate in support of racial integration and in opposition to Governor Orval Faubus. His run was unsuccessful. During this period, Yancey also filed a lawsuit against Governor Faubus seeking fair legislative reapportionment in the state. He argued that Arkansas's method of drawing its legislative maps gave rural areas more political power than cities. He won this case, and Arkansas was forced to redraw its maps so that representation was based on the actual population.

Commemoration 
John Howard Yancey died on May 16, 1986, in Little Rock, Arkansas. He is buried in the Little Rock National Cemetery. A detachment of the Marine Corps League in Dallas, Texas, is named after him, recognizing his distinguished combat record and service. Yancey also served as the model for a bronze bust of Count Pulaski displayed in the Pulaski County Courthouse in Arkansas.

In 2019, Yancey was inducted into the Arkansas Military Veterans Hall of Fame. In July 2020, the Marines renamed Building 2 in Camp Pike in North Little Rock in Yancey’s honor. The building stands on the historic military training grounds where Arkansas troops have trained for generations. 

These memorials and honors ensure that Yancey’s remarkable wartime service and civic contributions are remembered in both military and civilian communities.


This profile was researched by Areej Shuja and Shriya Maddukuri, mentored by Pulaski Academy teacher Mrs. Katy Wellborn, as part of a Veterans Legacy Grant Program led by National History Day in the 2025/2026 academic year.

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.


Bibliography

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A photo from the dedication ceremony at Camp Pike, July 17, 2020. Southwest Times Record.

Four people stand behind a marble podium with three bronze plaques on top.

Captain John Yancey’s headstone at the Little Rock National Cemetery. Courtesy of Katy Wellborn.

Captain John Yancey's headstone at the Little Rock National Cemetery.

John Yancey’s obituary, May 18, 1986. Korean War Educator.

A newspaper article with the headline John Yancey, 68, dies; noted World War II hero.

An article in the Northwest Arkansas Times about Yancey’s reapportionment case, February 1, 1965.

A newspaper article titled Reapportionment, Road Program Highlight Week's News in State.

John Yancey and Jo Ann Campbell’s Marriage License, January 15, 1950. State of Arkansas.

A handwritten slip with information about John and Jo Ann.

John H. Yancey’s Navy Cross citation, July 27, 1943. National Archives and Records Administration

A typed recounting of Yancey's Navy Cross citation.

Lieutenant John Yancey during the Korean War, MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military History.

A black and white photo of a White man in a Korean-era uniform. 

An article about Yancey’s Navy Cross, July 24, 1943. The Times Record.

A newspaper article titled, Ex-Razorback Footballer Shows Japs Some Arkansas Rough Stuff.

John Yancey and other Civilian Pilot Training (C.P.T.) students, 1942. Ouachitonian Yearbook.

Over a dozen small headshots of young White men. Underneath is a list of names.

John Yancey in his football uniform, 1942. Ouachitonian Yearbook.

A black and white image of a young White man in a football uniform with the number 15 on his chest.

The 1920 Census shows the Yancey family in Little Rock, Arkansas. National Archives and Records Administration.

John Howard Yancey in uniform. c. 1950. Encyclopedia of Arkansas.

A  image of a  Black man standing in uniform in front of a painting of a Marine in battle.

JOHN YANCEY

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