Jimmy Berray was mortally wounded on Nov. 13, 1942, during the naval battle of Guadalcanal while serving on the cruiser USS San Francisco and was awarded the Navy Cross for distinguished service in that battle. In the early morning of Nov. 13, he was seriously injured by shrapnel from a Japanese warship and died later that day. Capt. W.L. Turner, USMC, commander of the Marine Detachment aboard USS San Francisco, called him a hero and said that while seriously wounded he constantly waived first aid so it could be given to comrades. Berray was buried at sea on Nov. 14, 1942. He was born and raised in south Minneapolis and graduated from West High School.