Title: Navy Chief Warrant Officer 4, World War II, Korean War; police officer
Birthdate: October 1, 1914
Death Date: January 23, 1974
Plot Location: Section B, Range 6, Lot 4, southeast quarter

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There were seven boys born to Samuel and Louise McAlpin during the first quarter of the 20th century. Their father was born in Scotland and was a coppersmith at the Navy Yard. That may explain why six of the seven sons served in the military, four of them, including Elmer, in the Navy.

They grew up in the Melrose neighborhood of South Philadelphia. Elmer married Gertrude Kramer in 1935, had two girls and a boy before 1940, then had another girl in 1948. He worked at the Navy Yard as a pipefitter’s helper from 1937-1942, then joined up July 10, 1942. He became a Shipfitter 1st Class, rising to Chief Warrant Officer by the time he left on February 15, 1946. What makes this story especially notable is what his wife did during the war, as explained below.

He had a one-year tour of duty on the USS Gear, shown here, a rescue and salvage ship in the Pacific. After Japan’s surrender, he was stationed there with the USS Hooper Island, a repair ship that fixed the engines of the vessels in the Pacific Fleet.

The 1950 census lists Elmer’s job as a city police officer. At the start of the Korean War, he was one of over 100,000 Reserve Sailors who returned to active duty. He left the Reserves in 1957. Some time later, after retiring from the police, he and Gertrude moved to Florida where one of his daughters lived. Just to stay busy, he was a deputy Sheriff there for five years before they moved back to rural Pennsylvania where another daughter lived.

He died there in Mifflinville, in Columbia County at age 59. The funeral was held in Clementon, New Jersey before the burial took place here at Mount Moriah, where a military headstone was ordered for his grave. Elmer was the only one in his entire family brought here, and was survived by his wife and four children, plus 15 grandchildren and all six of the McAlpin brothers.

Elmer’s wife also “served” in the war, typified by this famous poster of “Rosie the Riveter,” breaking the stereotype of women relegated to the role of homemaker.  She was employed by the government at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. “Gert the Welder” could have been her nickname, because she did her part for the war effort as a submarine welder.

Like many others, she didn’t return to simply a domestic role after the war. She worked at two neighborhood institutions, the Penrose Diner (still in operation) and the Melrose Diner (famous for the jingle, “Everybody who knows, goes to Melrose”).  Gert outlived Elmer by 30 years, so when she joined him here she had 16 grandchildren, 32 great grandchildren, and 7 great-great grandchildren.

Japanese maple tree in front of a monument at Mount Moriah Cemetery

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