Paris, from Pontiac, IL, served in the Navy during World War II. He was killed in action in the South Pacific by a Japanese Kamikaze plane attack while aboard the battleship U.S.S. California, which had been repaired and put back in service after being badly damaged during the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941.

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Seaman Paris was listed as 18 years old, but according to his family, he was only 17 when he was killed; he had enlisted at age 16 with a fake birth certificate. 29 other sailors were killed in the attack.