Duchouquet Township in Cridersville in Auglaize County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Fredrick Delong

Photographed by Craig Doda, December 2, 2023

1. Fredrick Delong Marker

Inscription. During the fall of 1941, World War II was raging in Europe and other parts of the world. The war began for the United States on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.

Frederick Delong, a 1932 graduate of Cridersville High School, enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1939. As a Marine, he was assigned to the battleship USS Arizona. It was one of 19 ships destroyed in the attack.

When the USS Arizona sank on December 7, Delong and 1177 of his shipmates went down with the ship. He was among the very first U.S. casualties of World War II.

His body remains in the ship at the bottom of Pearl Harbor-what is today the USS Arizona Memorial. More than two million people visit the memorial each year.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: War, World II. A significant historical date for this entry is December 7, 1941.

Location. 40° 39.235′ N, 84° 8.346′ W. Marker is in Cridersville, Ohio, in Auglaize County. It is in Duchouquet Township. It is on East Main Street, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 326 E Main St, Lima OH 45806, United States

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of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Ohio’s Till Plains.

It is also in the American Midwest

and in the Corn Belt.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

and the Northwest Territory.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Oil Boom Years (here, next to this marker); The Place For Basketball & More (here, next to this marker); Investing In Education (a few steps from this marker); The Shawnee In Western Ohio (a few steps from this marker); Cridersville Goes To War (a few steps from this marker); Founding The Town (a few steps from this marker); Cridersville Rams (within shouting distance of this marker); Cridersville High School Veterans Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Cridersville.

Additional commentary.
1.
Although the name spelled “Fredrick” is in the marker title, “Frederick” (notice

Photographed by Craig Doda, December 2, 2023

2. Fredrick Delong Marker

extra “e”) is in the text.

— Submitted December 22, 2025, by Carl Gordon Moore Jr. of North East, Maryland.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 30, 2025. It was originally submitted on December 14, 2023, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 219 times since then and 24 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 14, 2023, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.