Edward Anderson Porter, ARM2c (Aviation Radioman 2nd Class) was assigned to Navy Bombing Squadron VB-16 aboard the second USS Lexington (CV-16). The first USS Lexington (CV-2) was sunk at the Battle of the Coral Sea in May of 1942. He was serving in the Central Pacific. He flew in the Gunner's position as half of a two-man crew in a Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless dive bomber, the other crew member being the pilot. On March 18, 1944 22 SBD-5's from Bombing 16 were taking part in an assault on Mili Atoll in the Marshall Islands. He flew with pilot Lt(jg) Arthur H. Sparrow in one of these 22 SBD-5's. The aircraft were launched one by one and were to rendezvous for their bombing run about 30 minutes later after all were airborne. About 10 minutes prior to rendezvous time Porter and Sparrow's aircraft was seen by other planes on the mission to go into a spiral dive from which it appeared to recover. Moments later however lookouts aboard the Battleship New Jersey saw an SBD crash into the sea. The remaining aircraft rendezvoused and bombed the island. When the aircraft were all safely back aboard the Lexington, SBD-5, Bu.No. 36540, the aircraft flown by Porter and Sparrow, was missing. ARM2c Porter and Lt(jg) Sparrow were both reported as Missing in Action (MIA) and the Next of Kin of both were notified. An organized search was not conducted until the following day, March 19, 1944. The search results revealed an oil slick about a mile and a half off the southeast end of the Mili Atoll in the area where the plane was believed to have been shot down by Japanese gunners. Pilots stated in the Action Reports that the Japanese anti-aircraft fire was "unusually accurate" that day. Anderson Porter, as he was known by the family, was never found and is still carried by the Bureau of Naval Personnel as MIA. Until the day she died, Anderson Porter's mother expected him to walk through her front door at any moment. She was never able to accept his probable death.