Memphis man to be honored in Amarillo

The Texas Panhandle War Memorial in Amarillo will honor a longtime Memphis resident this weekend for his service during World War II.

The late Cleatus Lebow and the USS Indianapolis will be the honored in a new permanent exhibit Saturday, February 7, as part of the Memorial’s “Reflections on Military Service.” The dedication will begin at 1:00 p.m. in the Chapel with refreshments to follow.

Lebow was born in Happy in 1924, was drafted into World War II, and later spent 35 years with the telephone company and moved to Memphis. He passed away in 2022 at the age of 98.

The sinking of the USS Indianapolis during World War II was the US Navy’s worst tragedy at sea. Eight hundred and eighty Sailors died, and only 317 survived, one being Cleatus Lebow.

The Indianapolis delivered to the US base on the island of Tinian the atomic bomb components which were ultimately used to construct the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, Japan.

On July 30, 1945, four days after leaving Tinian, the Indianapolis, operating under radio silence, was hit by two Japanese torpedoes that sank the ship in 12 minutes. The Sailors spent five days and four nights in the shark-infested Pacific Ocean. No one came to look for them because it was a secret mission, and the Navy Command did not know the ship was missing.

A plane searching for enemy submarines saw something and flew closer to the water. What the pilot saw were the Sailors’ heads bobbing in the water. As the plane approached, the men began to wave. The plane radioed for help and a rescue boat later arrived. The Sailors who served aboard the USS Indianapolis carried the weapon that ultimately won the war, and they endured unthinkable horrors in the harrowing ordeal at sea.

In December 2018, the crew of the Indianapolis was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their perseverance, bravery and service to the US.

Visit the Memorial’s Education Center of military artifacts and photographs from WWI to Afghanistan. The War Memorial has the only Military Chapel in the Panhandle, which is available for weddings, memorial services and funerals. Our high-tech Education Center features five computer kiosks, each with information on 11 US wars. They also have oral histories of the Vietnam War and World War II. Visit our gift shop for military tee shirts, ball caps, and military memorabilia.

For more information, call 806-350-8387 or visit TexasPanhandleWarMemorial.com.