About
World War II (1939-1945)
John Charles Landers was born in Amsterdam, New York, on December 18, 1916. He grew up in Amsterdam, and in 1935, he graduated from St. Mary's Catholic Institute. After graduating, he attended St. Michael's College in Vermont and graduated in 1939. During high school and college, he excelled as a basketball player. After marrying in November 1942, he relocated to Schenectady. Before enlisting in the military, he worked for General Electric.
On August 15, 1942, John was commissioned in the United States Navy. He volunteered for motor torpedo boat service and attended the Motor Torpedo Boat School in Melville, Rhode Island. On October 11, 1943, while serving as an engineering officer with a squadron of torpedo boats in the South Pacific, John drowned. He is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Fort Johnson, New York.
*Lieutenant Junior Grade
Sources: Amsterdam Evening Recorder, Find A Grave, Ancestry