Naval History and Heritage Command

Carl Kenneth Youngkin was born in Eastern, Pennsylvania, on 1 November 1899, son of George C. and Mary Catherine (Saylor) Youngkin.  He was graduated from Easton High School, and received the degree of Bachelor of Arts from Lafayette College, also in Easton, in 1922, and that of Doctor of Medicine from the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1927.  He was commissioned Lieutenant (jg) in the Medical Corps of the US Navy on 6 June 1927, and through subsequent promotions attained the rank of Captain, with date of rank 1 June 1943.

Reporting for active duty on 2 July 1927, he served his internship at the US Naval Hospital, Philadelphia, and when detached on 30 July 1928 reported to the USS Oklahoma, battleship of the Battle Fleet, in which he served for two years as Junior Medical Officer at the Marine Corps Base, San Diego, California, where he remained on duty until 18 May 1933.  He then became Camp Surgeon for Civilian Conservation Corps Headquarters, at Boise, Idaho, where he served until 6 March 1934, and for five months thereafter was a Ward Medical Officer at the Naval Hospital, San Diego.

Ordered to Asiatic Station, he served as Medical Officer of the USS Isabel, a unit of the Asiatic Fleet, from 15 September 1934 until 10 October 1935; as Junior Medical Officer of the USS Black Hawk until 15 May 1936; and as Division Medical Officer for Destroyer Division 14 until 1 October 1936.  Returning to the United States, he had duty from January 1937 to January 1940 as Ward Medical Officer at the Naval Hospital, Philadelphia. On 19 January he joined the USS Yukon, a unit of the Atlantic Fleet, to serve for a year as her Medical Officer at the Naval Hospital, Philadelphia, being on duty there when the United States entered World War II.

From January to July 1942 he served as Senior Medical Officer at the US Naval Recruiting Station, Richmond, Virginia, after which he went to sea as Senior Medical Officer of the USS Nevada. While he was on board, that battleship participated in the Aleutians Operation (Attu occupation) and North Atlantic convoy duty. On 29 February 1944 he reported to Treasure Island, San Francisco, California, to serve as Staff Medical Officer at the Training and Distribution Center, and while there until 13 June 1945 was in charge of Dispensary Organization.

From 14 August 1945 until 25 February 1946 he served as Executive Officer of Base Hospital #2, and Base Medical Officer at Subic Bay, Olongapo, Philippine Islands.  After his return to the United States, he reported on 5 March 1946 to Stanford University, California, where he was under instruction at the School of Naval Administration until 31 August, that year. Completing a month’s instruction at the US Navy Institute of Tropical Medicine, he was ordered to Guam, where he served from 24 October 1946 until February 1949 on the staff of the Governor of Guam.  There he also served as Director of Public Health, Senior Port Quarantine Officer and Chief Medical Officer of Guam.

When detached from Guam, he was ordered to the Skin and Cancer Hospital, Graduate School, New York University Medical School, completing the course in April 1950. During the next two years he served as Executive Officer of the US Naval Hospital, Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, and in June 1952 he was transferred to the Tenth Naval District, where he was District Medical Officer, Staff Medical Officer on the staff of Commander Caribbean Sea Frontier, and Chairman, Armed Forces Disciplinary Control Board, Antilles. Under orders of 17 August 1954 he returned to California to be Commanding Officer of the Naval Hospital, Camp Pendleton.

On 20 September 1955 he was ordered detached for duty as District Medical Officer, Thirteenth Naval District, Headquarters at Seattle, Washington, and on 18 January 1957 was transferred to like duty in the Fourteenth Naval District, Headquarters at Pearl Harbor, T. H.

Captain Youngkin had the Victory Medal (World War I); American Defense Service Medal, with star; American Campaign Medal; European African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal; Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal; World War II Victory Medal; National Defense Service Medal; and the Philippine Liberation Ribbon.

Married to the former Jessie M. Kenny of El Dorado, Kansas, he had a son and a stepson. His official residence was Easton, Pennsylvania. Captain Youngkin died on 8 February 1988 and was buried in Arlington National Cemetery.