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Command Failure

The US Army Air Forces' Worst Peacetime Disaster

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Rank as of October-November, 1941

2^nd Lt. Albert S. Aiken. (O-35252)

57^th PG, 64^th PS

Flying in 39-174

February 22, 1917 - May 3, 2000 (aged 83)

Spouse: Patricia Lavonne Aiken

May 27, 1922 - October 21, 2014 (aged 92)

A resident of Cheverly, MD and a University of Maryland student, Albert S. Aiken was a graduate of the Civil Aeronautics Administration (CAA) pilot-training course at College Park, MD. A December 18, 1939 photograph in the Washington (DC) Evening Star shows Aiken with fellow soloing pilots, Ned Schmitt, J. Leonard Meakin, Junius O. Hutton, and Jack Lambert.

The "Report of Changes of U.S.N.R. Aviation Base, Washington, D.C." shows that Aiken enlisted in the Navy January 29, 1938 as an aviator. He transferred over to the Army Air Corps on October 18, 1940 as a flying cadet. According to a September 20, 1942 issue of the Washington (DC) Star, Aiken’s basic training was at Randolph Field in Texas with several of his university buddies; Gordon F. Blood, Frank Smith, and Jack Lambert. Their advanced flight training was held at Kelly Field, also in Texas. On March 14, 1941 Aiken was listed in official records as a 2^nd Lt. serving in the Air-Reserve.

After what appears to be a short time with the 57^th PG, Albert Aiken served in Alaska during the Aleutian campaign. Lt. John Pease also served in the Aleutian campaign. An article from the United Press appears in the Nevada State Journal on January 10, 1943 and mentions Aikens and a hot dogfight over Kiska. "One incendiary bullet went through his gas tank and two cannon shells through his wings when he was attacked simultaneously," by two Japanese Zeros.

Albert Aiken may have married twice. There is a notice of marriage license applications in the Washington (DC) Evening Star from August 9, 1941 for Albert S. Aiken and Berniece (sic) Clark. Their ages are given as 24 and 22, respectfully. Whether there was a divorce or somebody was left at the alter is unknown. Aiken’s papers reside in the University of Alaska, Anchorage, archive from his time serving in Alaska during the War. Probably in Alaska, Aiken was (remarried around 1945 to Patricia Lavonne O’Brien; there is a photo in the archive of a laughing Patricia snuggled on Albert’s lap. The caption says, "A soldier and his fiancé are in a warm embrace while the soldier kisses his fiancé on the cheek." They had a son, Michael, and a daughter, Nora.

Albert S. Aiken was discharged from the United States Air Force as a Lt. Colonel on August 31, 1966 and passed away in 2000. He is buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Section 66, Site 240. Patricia became active in local politics and served in Virginia’s House of Delegates from 1975-1978. She was active in environmental causes and soil conservation issues. She died November 4, 2014 and is buried with her husband.

* * *

2^nd Lt. Robert Alexander Barnum. (O-416978)

57^th PG, 64^th PS

January 17, 1918 - October 28, 1994 (age 76)

Spouse: Christine Bryant Barnum

September 22, 1926 - January 30, 2009 (age 82)

An issue of The Southington News and Cheshire Times weekly from mid-state Connecticut of a photo shows three obviously delighted airmen. With them is "Movie Queen" Alice Faye. From left to right they are Lt. W.D. Miller, Miss Faye, Lt. Robert A. Barnum, and Lt. Frank H. Mears. The three boys and the "Queen" are posed in front of a P-40 at Windsor Locks, home of the 64^th Squadron, 57^th Pursuit Group. The boys are looking pretty pleased with themselves because, as the photo caption explains, "Miss Faye kissed each of the pilots after they had flown a military formation in her honor." Barnum is "cutting up" as they used to say; wearing his radio headset like a halo high above his hair.

Robert Alexander Barnum was born in Lake City, MI where he went to high school. He graduated from Michigan State University and later received his MBA from Gonzaga University in Spokane, WA. He married Christine Bryant December 14, 1947 in Macon, GA and they had three children; Bruce, Gretchen, and Craig. Following retirement the Barnum's returned to Michigan and lived in the Upper Peninsula town of Charlevoix.

Robert Barnum fought in North Africa and Italy with the 57^th PG where he earned the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Croix de Guerre, and Purple Heart. After 23 years in the US Air Force he retired as a Lt. Colonel in 1962. In retirement Barnum was interested in photography and was an avid bird watcher. He and Christine Bryant are buried together in Arlington National Cemetery, Section 59, Site 2067.

* * *

2^nd Lt. Glade Burke "Buck" Bilby. (O-416982)

57^th PG 64 PS

December 1, 1918 - November 11, 1957 (aged 38)

Spouse: Fay Castille Bilby. Three children.

In the fall of 1943 Glade Bilby returned home to Missouri on furlough after being twice shot down and once wounded in the army’s North Africa campaign. On another occasion, after bailing out at 2000 feet over the Mediterranean Sea when his P-40 developed engine trouble, Bilby spent 24 hours floating in a tiny dinghy life raft. He had plenty of time to reminisce about similar events two years past in California. "Luck certainly was running my way."

All this goes to show that Bilby was certainly not the same Phi Sigma Epsilon boy who had left the Northwest Missouri Teachers College after graduation three years before. That’s plain from an article appearing the local paper. Bilby is described as leaving his Alma Mater as a private and has now returned the "youngest Lieutenant Colonel in the Army Air Corps." Bilby also returns home as commanding officer of the 57^th FG "famed Black Scorpion Squadron of the United States Ninth Air Force," a veteran of the North African and Sicilian campaigns, and famous for being the first American airman to bomb an Axis position from a fighter-bomber. Bilby has also returned "somewhat thinner" than his student days and sporting a rather dashing and debonair mustache.

Glade Burke Bilby was born in Quitman, Missouri and 20 minutes west of the Teachers College where he attended college. It’s worth noting with Bilby any hesitation he may have expressed about attending college had nothing to do with distance. The United States has always expressed pride in the power of local community-based colleges in a country separated by continental time zones as well as family and culture. It’s a tradition that must go back as far, at least, as the 1864 Land Grant colleges.

As for the Bilby family, while the 20^th century turned the family ranch could claim 200,000 acres in Nodaway County, Missouri and extensive holdings in three other states making it the second biggest livestock operation in the United States.

The closeness of their serial numbers suggests Bilby graduated advanced flight training with lieutenants Barnum, Radovich, Speckman, Veteto, and West from the 57^th PG. Russell Speckman, Robert Barnum, and Bilby were probably good friends, or at the very least well acquainted, since Speckman and Barnum spent a week visiting with Bilby and his parents at their home between September 29 and October 3, 1941.

Glade "Buck" Bilby was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Air Medal and Silver Star, three bronze clusters, and the British Flying Cross for his service during the War.

In 1957 Bilby and his copilot were killed when their T-33 jet trainer collided with another T-33 and exploded while flying in formation near Craig Air Force Base in Alabama. At the time, Bilby was an instructor at the Naval War College in Rhode Island. Vincent S. Haneman Jr., pilot of the other T-33, was able to parachute to safety and later retired from the Air Force as a Major General. Glade Bilby’s ashes were interned at the Garden of Memories Cemetery in Metairie, LA.

* * *

1^st Lt. William Henry Birrell. (O-11795)

52^nd PG, 4^th PS

Flying in 39-200

December 9, 1918 - October 24, 1941 (aged 22 years)

William Henry Birrell was the eldest of three sons born to George and Mary Ann Rook Birrell. His father served in the Great War as a pilot and was later a lawyer, then judge, in the Ohio courts. William was one of seven flyers from the 52^nd Pursuit Group from Selfridge Field, MI, that were detailed to Major Hughes to fill his complement of P-40 flyers for the training flight to California. However, since Birrell was already in New Haven, CT, visiting with his younger brother, George at Yale, he was able to hitch a ride with his brother the 50 or so miles to Windsor Locks late in the evening of October 19^th.

While at George Washington High School in Warren, Ohio, Birrell served in the ROTC program. A 1940 West Point graduate (#307 of 449, cadet #11932) appointed by Congressman John G. Cooper, he was originally commissioned a second lieutenant of field artillery in June of that year. Birrell did primary flight training in Ontario, CA with basic training at Moffett Field and advanced flight training at Stockton, CA. He got his wings on March 14, 1941 with Class 41-B and remained in Stockton as an instructor until May, 1941 before being assigned to the 52^nd PG.

A glowing and much loved abridged biography from the "West Point Association of Graduates" organization for Birrell can be seen in his entry on the Ancestry.com website. The complete biography resides in the Birrell folder of the Pat Macha archives and is signed by "D.D."

D.D. says he was Birrell’s roommate for four years. The only person in Birrell’s West Point class of 1940 with those initials was Davison Dalziel who took a 1960 disability retirement as a colonel from the Strategic Air Command to become president of Dalco Construction, Inc.

Dalziel describes Birrell as "an idealist at heart" with "deep-rooted beliefs" whose most outstanding characteristic was his "self-discipline." He goes on to say that, "Shortly after our first week there I can remember thinking that, of all the men in our class, I’d rather have Bill as my roommate than any other. And I know many others of us thought the same thing." Dalziel’s desire came true and expresses those four years together as "a period of my life I will never forget," learning from Birrell, "more of earnestness, sincerity, and perseverance...in those four years than I had acquired in all my life before then." Birrell was "a constant inspiration to me," and "one of the most courteous gentlemen I have ever known...and the best friend a man ever had." What greater words have been spoken?

Birrell’s ashes are interned in the family plot at the Kinsman Cemetery New in Kinsman, Ohio.

* * *

2^nd Lt. Edwin F. Carey. (O-34001) Age 23.

52^nd PG

Flying 39-219

December 25, 1917 - February 28, 1997 (aged 79)

Spouse: Sgt. Milda Hedwig Beyerlein Carey (August 4, 1918 - February 21, 1997), survived by three daughters and predeceased by two sons.

Edwin F. Carey Jr., was an army brat. His father, Edwin F. Carey senior served in the Great War with the New York National Guard and, according to the Air Force Historical Research Agency, later in the aviation section, Signal Officer Reserve Corps. In retirement Carey junior pursued many projects but the one that most reflected his career in the Air Force, his family history, and a lifetime in flight was a book he wrote entitled, These We Honor-The International Aerospace Hall of Fame, which was published in 1984. The book honors the "great achievers of aviation and space endeavor who have made a significant contribution to the advance of aerospace exploration, flight, science and industry" written by someone who was there, saw it, participated in it, and did not forget it.

Along with seven others, Carey was detailed from the 52^nd PG at Selfridge Field to join Major Hughes and the 57^th PG training mission to the west coast. He had enlisted in the Army July 1, 1937 but did not engage in pilot training until 1940 where he graduated from Advanced Flying School in Class 40-A with Peter McGoldrick and George Deaton at Kelly Field, Texas. He was promoted to first lieutenant on November 1, 1941 in the middle of his California trip with Major Hughes and the 57^th PG.

During the War Edwin F. Carey served in China and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with oak leaf cluster, and the Air Medal with two oak leaf clusters. He also fought in Korea and Vietnam. Carey was one of six siblings and was married to Milda Hedwig Beyerlein, herself one of eight siblings, who served as a sergeant in the US Army. They had eight children. The couple died within a sennight of each other and they are buried in the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, California, Section Cbc Row 3 Site 101.

* * *

2^nd Lt. Thomas Walter William Clark. (O-406233) Age 24.

57^th PG. 64^th PS. Flying 39-208

January 18, 1917 - February 6, 1984 (aged 67)

Spouse (divorced?): Kathleen Edsall O’Malley

May, 1920 - ?

Spouse: Velia deFrancesco

? - ?

A biography of Thomas Walter William Clark is problematic. The "Clark" surname is nearly as common as "Smith" or "Jones." It’s entertaining to contemplate that "William Clark" has some connection to the famous early 19^th century explorer and cartographer of the Mississippi, Missouri, and Columbia River basins, Captain William Clark. But that particular Clark settled in Missouri and the Clark family considered here settled in Wetmore, near Munising, Michigan on Lake Superior. Still, there could be a connection though genealogy websites don’t hold the answer.

His father was William Clark Sr. And he was indeed senior, being 19 years older than his wife, the former Janet Billings. The 1940 US Census shows that Clark senior was also over 40 years older than his young daughter, Janet, and his older sons, Benjamin John and Thomas Walter (William). William Clark senior had gotten a late start in family life.

The July 27, 1940 enlistment papers at Fort Brady Sault St. Marie in Michigan for the 23 year old aviation cadet Thomas W. Clark claim four years of college and employment in "civil life" for the 5'9" 152 pound recruit. By age 25 Thomas was an officer in the Air Corps stationed at Mitchel Field, New York, married since June 27, 1942 to a local Manhattan girl, Kathleen Edsall O’Malley. According to their marriage license the mr. and mrs. were living with both pairs of in-laws in Connecticut on "Main Street."

Following the War, Clark appears not to have tarried in getting out of the service. Either as a peripatetic tourist or in some business capacity he traveled several years to the Middle East, Europe, and South America-single and divorced. In 1959 Thomas Walter Clark remarried to Velia deFrancesco of New York, as the marriage license says, an "air line employee." Was she possibly a stewardess?

Lt. Colonel Thomas Walter William Clark is buried in the Maple Grove Cemetery in Munising, Michigan. An internet search does not turn up either of his wives being close by or whether there were ever any children between them.

* * *

1^st Lt. Philip Gerald Cochran. (O-22464) Age 31

57^th PG. 65^th PS commanding officer

January 29, 1910 - August 25, 1979 (aged 69)

A 1935 graduate of Ohio State University, Cochran earned his wings the following year at Randolph field in Texas and by 1941 rose to squadron commander with the 65^th PS with the 57^th PG. He later served in North Africa and in the China-India-Burma arena. Along the way Cochran helped develop tactical air combat, assault, and transport techniques.

Philip Cochrane lead such an adventurous real life he actually became the unreal life comic strip character, "Flip Corkin" in the popular comic strip from the War, Terry and the Pirates. He first appeared in the strip on August 3, 1942 and quickly took over the action from Terry Lee as the strip joined the country, entering the War. It helped that the strip’s author, Milton Caniff, was a former college chum of Cochran’s.

Philip Cochran originally approached Caniff to design the gaming rooster with a chip on its shoulder and a shamrock, "Fighting Cock," mascot for the 57^th PG 65^th PS. While watching the 65^th practicing combat maneuvers, Caniff was inspired to incorporate the squadron and its leader into Terry and the Pirates. In the cartoon, Flip Corkin is a wild, rambunctious, rule-breaking, Adonis with an outsized personality and outrageous sense of humor and adventure. He’s constantly courting the blond nurse, Lt. Taffy Tucker.

But Cochran was more, much more than a cartoon. That kind of popular fame could be a difficult burden to carry during a war and for the rest of your life. Cochran more than handled it.

Philip Cochran was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Soldier’s Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, British Distinguished Service Order Medal, the French Croix de Guerre, and the Chinese Order of Cloud and Banner. He retired in 1947 as a colonel and then worked as a movie consultant and in private industry. Cochrane suffered a fatal heart attack while horseback riding, supposedly on a fox hunt, and is buried in Trinity Cemetery, Section W, Lot 124, in his home town of Erie, Pennsylvania.

* * *

2^nd Lt. George Charles "Bud" Deaton. (SN unknown) Age 26.

52^nd PG 5^th PS Flying 41-13365

January 12, 1915 - February 16, 1995 (age 80)

Spouse: Eula Kleiman Deaton; two children, Mike and Mary.

A native of Lake Charles, Louisiana, Deaton was known by his family nickname, "Bud." He had three older sisters.

George Deaton was part of the 52^nd PG contingent that joined Major Hughes and his boys from the 57^th PG at Selfridge Field in Michigan. He earned his wings at Kelly Field in Texas, Class 40-A, March 23, 1940, along with Peter McGoldrick (who would be a squadron commander of the 57^th PG 66^th PS in California) and Edwin F. Carey, Jr. (who Deaton would meet up with again at Selfridge Field where they both flew with the 52^nd PG).

In 1941 Deaton was in Racine, Wisconsin "to establish a flying cadet recruiting center at Marquette University" after he had recently "graduated from the army flying school at Selfridge Field." The 332nd Fighter Group, also known as the "Tuskegee Airmen," attended advanced combat training at Selfridge Field too.

By summer, 1943, Deaton was a major, still serving with the 52^nd but as its commander in North Africa. In May and June of that year he penned a batch of letters home to the parents of the boys serving under him. Rather than letters of condolence these were missives giving congratulations to families for having their boys participate in the recent victory from the lately concluded Tunisian campaign. "I am indeed happy and proud to be able to write to you at this time and express my thankfulness in having the opportunity to have in my command the caliber of men such as your son."

Deaton was active for many years in the P-47 Thunderbolt Pilots Association. A retired Lt. Colonel, "Bud" Deaton is buried in the Kinder McRill Memorial Cemetery of Allen Parish in Louisiana.

* * *

1^st Lt. Charles Richard Fairlamb. (O-22983) age 24.

57^th PG 66^th PS Flying 39-210

September 6, 1917 - April 5, 1973 (aged 55)

West Point, 1940

Spouse: Barbara Briggs Lockwood, children include Charles Richard Fairlamb, Jr., and at least one other.

Known as "Fuzzy" to his friends, Charles Fairlamb was a 1940 graduate (99^th of 449, cadet #11889) of the United States Military Academy along with Harry Albright French, also of 57^th PG, and William Birrell with the 52^nd PG. He received his pilot rating March 14, 1941 and served at that time as Squadron Operations Officer for the 57^th PG 66^th PS.

Fairlamb was involved in a landing accident at Quonset Point Naval Air Station on March 1, 1942 while piloting P-40 41-5547 when his landing gear struck a two foot high pile of snow. He was not faulted for the accident. Fairlamb married on April 25, 1942 and departed Bradley Field in July, 1942 on the USS Ranger when the 57^th was sent overseas to Tunisia in North Africa. However, he must have returned to the "Zone of the Interior" because on August 29^th of that year he was awarded the Soldier’s Medal for bravery along with Philip Cochran for rescuing a colleague from a burning airplane after a crash at Windsor Locks. It could be that both men were awarded the medal in absentia for an event predating their assignments overseas.

While in Tunisia, in February, 1943, Charles Fairlamb and two others were seriously injured when an oil stove in the mess tent exploded. Fairlamb suffered burns to the face and hands. After his recovery Fairlamb instructed replacement pilots at El Kabrit, Egypt.

Fairlamb flew 48 combat missions in North Africa before being injured and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, and Purple Heart. From 1956-1960 Major Fairlamb served in Germany. After retirement he worked as the Treasurer-General Manager of the New Era Manufacturing Company in Hawthorn, New Jersey, eventually being named president in 1959. Fairlamb is buried at the United States Military Post Cemetery at West Point, Section VIII, Row B, Site 73

* * *

1^st Lt. Harry Albright French. (O-22908)

57^th PG HQ squadron.

November 3, 1915 - March 31, 1992 (aged 76).

West Point 1940.

Spouse: Lou Glover French August 5, 1918 - August 18, 2004 (aged 86); survived by a large extended family including three of four children.

A student at Arkansas State College 1932-1935 and 1940 graduate of West Point (21^st of 449, cadet #11811), Harry Albright French advanced rapidly, going from an air corps cadet in 1940 to full bird colonel in 1954 and in 1964, brigadier general. During his long career he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Bronze Star, Air Force Commendation Medal, Distinguished Unit Badge with oak leaf cluster, Croix de Guerre with Palm, American Defense Medal, and nine others.

After finishing flight training French was assigned in May of 1941 to the 57^th FG and moved to Bradley Field. In July, 1942 and as a captain he moved with the 57^th FG to North Africa, flying his P-40 off the US Navy carrier "Ranger" with many of his cohorts from Windsor Locks. October 1943 found French with the IX Fighter Command in England and then the 100^th Fighter Wing as deputy commander in France in July, 1944. December of that same year French took over command of the 19^th Tactical Control Group (Provisional). Following the surrender of Germany, French was moved to briefly to the Philippines; he returned to the United States in September 1945 as commander of the 502^nd Tactical Control Group at Biggs Field, Texas.

Obtaining his masters degree in business administration at Stanford University in 1950 French moved on to command positions at Selfridge Air Force Base, with the Alaska Air Command, and Scott Air Force Base. In 1964 French was assigned to the US Pacific Command, Hawaii where he was assistant chief of staff in communications and electronics.

Brigadier General Harry Albright French is buried with his wife and beside their second son, Harry jr. (February 5, 1951 - July 22, 2016), in Arkansas at the Prairie Grove Cemetery, South Row 57 Space 72. Their first son, Charles Richard French died May 11, 1949 at two months when the general was a student at Stanford.

* * *

Major Clayton Earl Hughes. (O-17536)

57^th PG commanding officer

Flying #41-13336 (there is a note in Lt. Lydon’s file with a flight plan that suggests that Maj Hughes was actually piloting #41-13336)

January 18, 1904 - June 19, 1984 (aged 80)

West Point, 1929.

Spouse: Martha James Hipp Hughes, married June 10, 1929.

December 3, 1906 - April 12, 1991

Son, James Earl (March 16, 1931 - September 12, 1921).

Clayton Earl Hughes was born in the small town Liberty, Oregon (east of Albany) and obtained a B.A. in zoology from the University of Oregon in 1925. In his senior year before transferring to West Point Hughes served as a private with the Oregon National Guard from 1924-1925 in Company C, 186^th infantry. He graduated the military academy, class of 1929 (42 out of 298, Cadet #8529).

In 1935, contemplating his future as a career army officer, Hughes applied, was accepted, and trained then qualified as a pilot when the numbers of qualifying pilots were low and the standards were ridiculously and prohibitively high. It was also during an era when horsemanship was considered an essential quality for piloting an airplane. "Early in his career, as a Lt., he flew with a demonstration team called the Skylarks."  Hughes is second from the left in the image, below.

Other than earning his wings in 1935 and the Skylarks there is no record of how Clayton Hughes was occupied between graduating from West Point and his assignment to the 17^th PS Ground Headquarters at Selfridge Field on August 23, 1939. On July 1, 1941 he moved to the 57^th PG as commanding officer. He was relieved of that duty January 2, 1942. It’s been reported that Hughes began his army career in the cavalry but there is nothing about this in his service record. We do know that on at least one official photograph he was pictured carrying a riding crop.

True to a career officer, after leaving the 57^th PG Hughes moved around quite a bit. Shuffling through administrative positions he never spent longer than a year at any post for the remainder of his army and air force career. His job titles included Base Operations Officer, Inspector General, Air Inspector, training supervisor, and Deputy Commander for Support. His name appears in several Missing Air Crew Reports as a crash investigator including the May, 1943 crash of a B-24. In 1944 Hughes graduated from a six month course with the Naval War College and in 1948-49 spent seven months at the Air Force War College at Maxwell Field, Alabama. In 1956 he attended Dartmouth College.

Colonel Clayton Earl Hughes took a disability retirement in 1959, possibly due to the beginning stages of Parkinson’s Disease. His death at age 80 was probably primarily due to complications from Parkinson’s Disease and exacerbated by pneumonia, COPD, and cardiovascular collapse. Clayton Earl Hughes and his wife are buried in the Ashland, Virginia, Woodland Cemetery, Section 357 east. Their son and daughter-in-law are interned in Hollywood Cemetery in Richmond City, Virginia.

* * *

Lt. LeClaire.

Nothing is known about Lt. LeClaire other than he joined the California-bound flight when Lt. Cochran left it.

* * *

1st. Lt. Richard "Dick" Norton Long. (O-401192)

52^nd PG 5^th PS flying 39-287

April 1, 1915 - October 24, 1941 (aged 26)

Spouse: engaged to Rachel Emily Thomasson

February 19, 1920 - April 12, 2010

Richard Norton Long was the elder son of Mr. and Mrs. James C. Long of Connellsville, Pennsylvania. Their younger son, Robert, was also in the Air Corps. He served as an instructor at Craig Field, Alabama. In 1946, now a major, Robert M. Long had not given up on locating his brother. "Hoping to spot wreckage of his brother’s plane from the air, the major has been conducting search flights over the range of mountains east of the central valley extending from San Bernardino north to Sacramento and beyond."

Lt. Long was to be married to Rachel Emily Thomasson of Detroit, Michigan, on October 24, 1941. The ceremony had to be postponed when Long’s furlough was canceled so he could join the 57^th PG on their flight to California. Several newspapers in Long’s native state of Pennsylvania printed stories about the missing flyer and his fiancé’s certainty he would be found. This was especially true after Lt. West and Lt. Lydon were rescued from their week’s stay in the Barton-Lackey Cabin in Kings Canyon National Park.

Rachel Thomasson never married. At some time after her fiancé disappeared she moved to Sacramento, California, with her parents and teenaged brothers, Edgar and Ross. One can’t help thinking the whole family moved west to be near as they could to Richard Long, not knowing where he was but knowing it was somewhere in California’s Sierra Nevada. Her father, Edwin, died in 1960 at the age of 74 and is interned at the East Lawn Memorial Park, Magnolia Court West. Her mother, Laura, died in 1982 at the age of 86 and is also interned at the East Lawn Memorial Park but in the Sierra Corridor, El Dorado Building. When Rachel passed at age 90 in 2010 she was interned beside her mother.

After his crash site was discovered in July 7, 1959 and he was finally found, Richard Norton Long’s remains were buried in the Hill Grove Cemetery in Connellsville, Pennsylvania.

* * *

1^st Lt. Leonard Clair Lydon (O-22516)

57^th PG 66^th PS flying 39-194

June 7, 1912 - May 25, 1945 (age 32)

Spouse: unmarried

Like many boys serving in the Army Air Corps and other military branches both before and during the War, Leonard Clair Lydon came from a small town. Stuart, Iowa is still that same small town, with a downtown of classic low brick buildings with granite lintels, a substantial Masonic Temple with a clock tower, wide streets, and angled street parking. April 16, 1934 was an exciting day in Stuart because that is when the First National Bank was robbed of about $1500 by the outlaws Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow. In the 1940 census there were 1611 people living in Stuart, only 171 less than in the 2020 census.

Lydon’s parents were John Paul Lydon (June 28, 1883 - April 14, 1960) and Teresa Agnes Conway Lydon (January 21, 1885 - February 19, 1949). He had a younger sister, Letitia Mary Lydon Maass (April 13, 1916 - August 13, 1980).

Leonard Lydon enlisted in the army in 1936 and completed pursuit flight training June 16, 1938. After this debacle in the Sierra Nevada in October, 1941 Lydon’s first record of overseas service is February 10, 1943. A newspaper article from December, 1943 describes him as "a 5 ½ foot former farm boy" and "second in command of a group which flew 108 front line bombing and strafing sorties during the day" over the skies of (Monte) Cassino "to support the mud-bound army." Lydon comments that "The flak wasn’t bad. They can’t shoot at you when they’re running for cover." In a January 22, 1944 syndicated column from, "An Advanced Base In Italy," Lt. Col. Lydon describes "flying a sunrise cover for Allied landings on the west coast of Italy." He says, "It was an uneventful flight, actually nothing at all like the Sicily show. I didn’t see a single German plane and there was no ack-ack."

By the end of the War in Europe, Colonel Lydon was commanding the 324^th Fighter Group, 315 Fighter Squadron in Pleinigen (sic, probably Plieningen), Germany. He was accidentally killed May 25, 1945 when a guard at the air base "unexpectedly fired on a staff car in which he was riding." He had flown 110 combat missions. Lydon was the recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with five oak leaf clusters, Soldier’s Medal, and the French Croix de Guerre. Newspapers covering his death make reference to October, 1941 when, "The flier, then a lieutenant, made front-page news when he and another airman were forced to bail out of their planes over California’s Sierra mountains."

Killed in 1945, Colonel Leonard Clair Lydon finally came home over three years later. This was not an uncommon event. A funeral for Lydon was held Thursday, September 23, 1948 and he was buried with a military service at Calvary Cemetery in Stuart, Iowa with his parents and sister in attendance.

* * *

2^nd Lt. Ralph D. Matthews. (O-406419)

52^nd PG 5^th PS flying 41-13333

December 27, 1916 - December 26, 1942 (aged 25)

Spouse: Evelyn Matthews (possibly a son, Ralph Donald Matthews and perhaps one other).

What a birthday present. On the day before celebrating his 26^th birthday Captain Ralph D. Matthews went up in the air to do battle with the Japanese in the United States Territory of Alaska on the island of Attu. Like many others in this War, he never returned. And his fate is still unlearned.

The death of Ralph Matthews in such a cold and icy place as Alaska is recognized in the tropical warmth of Hawaii, of all places. It’s on a memorial in Honolulu, island of Oahu. With so many others, Matthews is memorialized in honor for those soldiers and aviators and other service personnel whose remains lie elsewhere. As is Ralph Matthews.

When Ralph Matthews was recognized as missing in action in battle in 1942 he was serving with the 18^th Fighter Squadron of the 342rd Fighter Group. Previously he’d been one of seven Michigan boys from the 52^nd PG at Selfridge Field detailed to the 57^th PG to accompany them to California in October-November, 1941. A high school graduate with no years of college and a farmer like his father, Matthews enlisted August 3, 1940 in Bismarck, North Dakota and received his pilot rating on March 14, 1941. Born 14 years after his parent’s marriage he was the only son of a late blooming family consisting of Lynn E. Matthews (May 8, 1875 - February 26, 1951) and Minnie G. Matthews (1883 - 1935) in Cando, North Dakota. It must be terrible as a father to survive your only son.

Matthews did his job, like so many others, as it was defined. At Attu, in and late November, 1942 he was "strafing the grounded planes (of Japanese war aircraft) while the bombers let loose more fire bombs," on a Japanese base on Attu Island, "at the end of the Aleutian chain." One of the attackers (Lt. James D. Stevens of Fayette, TN) "suffered damage to its motor but returned safely to its base as did others."

Luck is luck. And luck being luck it eventually runs out. February 19^th the next year a newspaper report intimates a sad story for Ralph Matthews. The article records that amongst five others, Captain Ralph D. Matthews was awarded a Silver Star for bravery. Also noted is his wife, Evelyn, of Cando ND and she is identified as next of kin, The award citation records Captain Matthews as "missing in action."

One other pilot who made the California trek in this story served in the Aleutians during the War. Did Albert Aikens of the 57^th PG (Bradley Field, Connecticut) and Ralph Matthews of the 52^nd PG (Selfridge Field, 5^th Fighter Squadron, Michigan) meet up again in Alaska with the 18th Fighter Squadron of the 342rd Fighter Group and chew over bittersweet memories of other cold an foggy fights flying in challenging altitudes and visibility? There is no record.

Though Ralph D. Matthews is accepted in military records as amongst the "unaccountable remains" from World War II, his parents are not. They lie in the Cando, North Dakota, IOOF Cemetery, Block D Lot 31 Side W5. Some day, who knows, they may be reunited in that place with their son. Matthews was awarded the Purple Heart in addition to his Silver Star.

* * *

Captain Peter G. McGoldrick (O-20341)

57^th PG 66^th PS

West Point 1936

Flying in 41-13341

June 19, 1912 - November 6, 1942 (age 30)

Spouse: Blanch Anish McGoldrick, dates unknown (one daughter, Blanche born around 1937-1938, probably in Puerto Rico where her parents lived and her father stationed).

Peter "Pete" McGoldrick began his military career as a private in Battery C, 13^th Field Artillery between July 17, 1930 and June 30, 1932 when he was enrolled in the United States Military Academy at West Point. His B.S. degree came in June, 1936. Peter McGoldrick received his commission in a special ceremony held at "the base of Battle Mountain on historic Trophy Point" with 217 diplomas presented by 1886 West Point graduate, "General Pershing, who commanded the American forces in France during the World War."

On March 23, 1940 at Kelly Field, Texas, McGoldrick completed advanced flying school. He graduated from the same flight school as Edwin F. Carey Jr., and George C. Deaton of the 52^nd PG. Both would join McGoldrick on the 57^th PG flight to California.

Between West Point graduation and transferring to flight school he served as a lieutenant of infantry.

The son of Peter Sr.,(1859 - 1927) and Virginia Baccolini McGoldrick (1888 - 1944), Peter Jr., was one of five children. The father was an electrical engineer with the "original George Westinghouse inventive group." The family lived on a small farm on West Road in Lee, Massachusetts.

Young Peter had always wanted to be an army flyer and when he tired of waiting for a post-high school congressional appointment to West Point, enlisted in the army. Sent to Hawaii, McGoldrick enrolled in the West Point Preparatory School there and after a year of intense study was granted admission to the Military Academy. His first assignment as a 2^nd lieutenant was with the 65^th infantry in Puerto Rico. He lived there for the next two years with his wife and child, returning to the United States in 1938. After a successful transfer to the Air Corps and winning his wings McGoldrick was stationed at Langley Field, Mitchel Field where he joined the 57^th PG, and then Windsor Locks as commander of the 66^th PS.

When the War began McGoldrick transferred to the 79^th FG and moved with them to Cairo, Egypt in October, 1942 as their first commanding officer. He was killed in action November 6, 1942. After strafing a motor convoy near Charing Cross, Egypt, his plane was hit by flak. Attempting a crash landing McGoldrick hit a land mine. At first he was reported back home as missing-in-action and a German POW.

Lt. Colonel Peter McGoldrick is buried at the American Cemetery in Carthage, Tunisia, Plot H, Row 16, Grave 6. In 1969 his hometown of Lee, MA memorialized their favorite son with a plaque and portrait in his West Point uniform when their new YMCA family center was opened.

* * *

1^st Lt. Frank Henry Mears. (O-22068)

57^th PG 64 PS flying in 39-175

December 15, 1910 - August 4, 2003 (aged 92)

Spouse: Winifred Withers Burgan (no children)

January 14, 1914 - March 9, 1989 (aged 75)

Spouse: Regina T. Mears (no children)

March 13, 1915 - May 18, 2007 (aged 92)

Before enlisting in the Army Air Corps Frank Mears attended Citrus Junior College for three years, majoring in engineering. He began flight training in 1936 and finished the next year with instruction in pursuit attack flying. In 1937 he was stationed in Honolulu. According to the 1940 census Mears was living in Elizabeth City, Virginia, with his first wife but with no children.

In 1947 Colonel Mears served on the R.O.T.C. staff at the University of California, Los Angeles. By 1959 he was the commander of the 6510 Air Base Group and base commander at Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California. At the time Mears was involved with flight tests for prototype aircraft near the realm of space flight. He also worked with the X-15 experimental rocket plane.

Mears retired from the Air Force in 1961, moved to San Diego, and became a production designer for Convair.

A veteran of three wars, with the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Legion of Merit, and the Air Medal, Colonel Mears is inurned with his second wife at the Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego, Section Cbaa Row 1 Site 165.

* * *

2^nd Lt. Wynn Dixon "Windy" Miller. (O-393178)

57^th PG 64^th PS

June 4, 1915 - June 10, 2000 (aged 85)

Spouse: Ruth Marie Patton Miller (no children)

August 11, 1913 - July 5, 2003 (aged 89)

Don’t ever doubt survival skills learned as a Boy Scout! In 1931 16 year old Wynn Miller of Troop 5 was hoping to raise enough money to attend summer camp at Camp Winnetka in Missouri, work on earning enough merit badges to reach Life Scout (one level before Eagle Scout), and do some swimming at camp. To get the cash Wynn mowed lawns, picked strawberries; even won prize money at the 4-H Club in St. Louis. He had money in the bank. His other goal that year was to make, and save, enough money to finance his first year at University where he wanted to study agriculture.

Fast forward to 1943 when 28 year old Captain Wynn D. "Windy" Miller had to bail out over Japanese occupied territory in Burma when his P-40 fuel line burst over dense jungle on December 7, 1942. Miller had to survive on his wits and with the munificent help of local natives in avoiding enemy troops. It took him 30 days to get back to base, arriving in Calcutta on December 25, 1943. A Merry Christmas, for sure.

Wynn Miller had a tough beginning. His physician-father died during the 1918 flu pandemic while ministering to the sick and dying when the boy was only three years old. Miller’s mother subsequently remarried. She died aged 54, in 1944, when her son was still overseas. Wynn put himself through college (pledging in 1934 to Chi Mu of Phi Gamma Delta) at the University of Missouri, Columbia. He was one of 23 candidates nominated for the 1934 Savitar Yearbook "Queen," the first time a "male beauty" was put forward. The contest was judged by the one person most able in the United States to decide on male beauty: Mae West. "I wish I could use all the pictures you sent-you really grow ‘em handsome in Missouri," she wrote along with ranking her seven favorites.

After college, in 1939 Miller enlisted in the Air Corps and did his flight training at Randolph and Kelly Fields in Texas. He married a local San Antonio girl in 1940. Windy was the second pilot with the 57^th PG to take off from the carrier "Ranger," making the first wartime P-40 deliveries May 18, 1942 into Africa. Assigned to the 51^st FG stationed in Assam, India, Windy Miller flew in the China-Burma-India theater during the War.

Between June 1944 and October 1945 Lt. Colonel Wynn D. Miller served as the commander of the 445^th FS, the first all-jet fighter squadron, moving with it from Bakersfield to Santa Maria to March Field; all in California. He retired from the United States Army Air Forces with a Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal. Relocating to San Antonio, Texas in 1949, Miller found success in the oil business. He and his wife are buried at the Mission Burial Park South in San Antonio, Texas, Section 5, Oakview Garden.

* * *

2^nd Lt. James Eugene Miles Jr. (O-404172)

86^th Bomb Squadron (L) 47^th Bomb Group

Flying in PT-17 #41-8091

October 10, 1916 - February 22, 1943 KIA (aged 26)

Spouse: Jean Scoon Miles Washburn (no children; remarried with children)

December 17, 1916 - April 9, 2013 (aged 96)

James E. Miles Jr., is odd man out in these biographical sketches because he did not fly with either the 57^th PG or 52^nd PG. He did fly on one of the search missions looking for those boys in the sky and on the ground in California. Though he was not one of them, Miles was of them. The rest of his story is as important as their own.

James Miles, from Sapulpa, Oklahoma, had one older brother (Albert Sherman Miles), two younger than him and a sister. July 1, 1940 he enlisted in the United States Army in Oklahoma City. While in pilot training the 6'1" 171 pound young man from Oklahoma met Jean Scoon from Modesto, California and they were married on March 27, 1942. She remarried, like so many other wives had to, in 1946, to Charles Eugene Washburn after her fist husband’s death in combat. She survived James Miles by 70 years and is buried with her second husband, himself an Army Air Forces 1^st lieutenant, in the Bakersfield National Cemetery, Section 9 Site 51, in Arvid, California.

Miles went overseas with his bombardment group and they landed in Tunisia. Flying an A-20B Havoc #41-3140 with the 12^th Air Force, 47^th Bombardment Group, 86^th Bombardment Squadron on a low level bombing mission over Kesserine Pass he was shot down by flak with his crew near Thala, Tunisia. They had taken off from Youks-les-Bains airfield in Algeria. All three perished: pilot Captain James Eugene Miles Jr., aerial gunner S/Sgt Ronald William Doyle (19060228) aged 21, from Sandpoint, Idaho, and aerial gunner S/Sgt Wayne Franklin Dill (19002183), aged 25, from Dos Palos, California. Doyle was survived by his parents and two sisters. Dill was survived by his parents and two siblings.

Doyle is buried at the Pinecrest Memorial Park in Sandpoint, Idaho. Dill is in the Dos Palos Cemetery in Merced County, California. Their pilot, Captain James E. Miles Jr., was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, and Air Medal. He is buried in Plot E Row 3 Grave 19 in the North African American Cemetery in Tunis, Tunisia. His mother, Linna Miles of 1326 East Thompson in Sapulpa, Okla., was listed as his next of kin. What a good boy he was.

* * *

2^nd Lt. John Harold Pease Jr. (O-406056)

52^nd PG 11^th PS

Flying 39-213

November 3, 1919 - (?)

Spouse: Marie Pease (three sons).

Spouse: Beverly Pease.

Born in Stillwater, Minnesota, John Pease moved early on in life with his family to Boise, Idaho where he graduated high school and attended Boise Junior College. After completing the primary and secondary Civilian Pilot Training Program courses he enlisted in the Army Air Corps on October 14, 1940 and went through training at Randolph Field. On March 14, 1941 he completed his initial training at Brooks Field in Texas and then did fighter transition training with the 94^th Pursuit Squadron at Selfridge Field in Michigan. Following that, Pease was assigned to the 52^nd PG, also at Selfridge Field. That lead to his liaison late October, 1941 with the 57^th FG on their California mission.

Pease’s first wartime assignment was 86 missions in Alaska with Lt. Col. Jack Chennault’s "Baby Flying Tigers" and the 11^th PS. As a captain Pease served as a flight commander with the 18^th FS and returned to the Lower 48 in June, 1943 where he completed P-47 transition training and assignment to the 366^th FG, 389^th FS as Squadron Commander. Pease moved to Europe next where he flew the P-47 on 126 missions destroying two aircraft in aerial combat and flying over the D-Day beaches. His plane was called "Heap Big Wheel."

After the War Pease served with distinction as commander of many fighter groups, rising to the rank of colonel before retiring February, 1970 after 30 years of active service. His decorations include Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 23 oak leaf clusters, the Croix de Guerre with palm, Legion of Merit with cluster, and three commendation medals. Colonel Pease lives with his wife in Colorado.

* * *

2^nd Lt. Walter Veselin Radovich. (O-416891)

57^th PG 65^th PS

Flying 41-13392

November 16, 1919 - February 12, 2006 (age 86)

Spouse Elizabeth June Ahlers Radovich (five children)

June 17, 1924 - June 13, 2008 (aged 83)

Walter Radovich enlisted in the Army Air Corps at Fort MacArthur in San Pedro, California on October 10, 1940 and after completing flight training was commissioned a second lieutenant on May 29, 1941. Radovich "joined the military because he always wanted to be a fighter pilot." His family was originally from Chicago and moved to Los angles when Walter was a youngster. A graduate of Fremont High School he attended Glendale Junior College and Santa Barbara State Teachers College.

While in the 57^th PG Radovich served under Lt. Philip Cochran. He had wanted to join the "Flying Tigers" in China but Cochran discouraged him by predicting the United States would soon be at war. On restricted duty following his recovery from injuries sustained in bailing out of his P-40 on November 2, 1941 Radovich held a number of stateside command positions. His old CO, Cochran, encouraged Radovich to volunteer with the 1^st Air Commandos in the China-Burma-India Theater. This renewed association with Cochran lead to Radovich being portrayed in the Milton Caniff "Terry and the Pirates" comic strip as Walt "Ramblin’ Radovich." He’s credited with four enemy aircraft destroyed with his P-51 named Mongoose.  Radovich is in the font row, to the left in the image below. Phil Cochran is on the far right, front row.

After the War Radovich owned a liquor store, was Regional Sales Manager for Schieffelin & Co and Heublien. Following retirement he successfully invested in a race horse, jetliners, and oil wells, and served as a docent for the Palm Springs Air Museum.

Major Walter Veselin Radovich was awarded the Air Medal, Distinguished Flying Cross, British Distinguished Flying Cross, and other decorations. He and his wife are buried in the Riverside National Cemetery in California, Section 63D Site 423

* * *

2^nd Lt. Vernon Leslie Scott. (O-417110)

57 PG 65^th PS

June 15, 1919 - November 3, 2002 (age 83)

Spouse: Dorothy Margrete Hektner Scott (three children)

December 7, 1919 - January 12, 2017 (age 97)

On May 29, 1941, native son from the rural region four miles west of Hazel, South Dakota, Vernon Leslie Scott, Class 41-D, graduated from his advanced pilot training course at Brooks Field, Texas. Despite this impressive and enormous achievement, Scott’s was a family of death and tragedy.

Vernon Scott was the oldest of five of the seven surviving children of Lester Fred Scott, a farmer, and his wife Frances Margaret Scott. Their first two children, babies Scott and Clark died in infancy. Their youngest, Donald, died in a farming accident in 1942 at the age of eleven. Their next youngest, Leroy or "Buster" murdered his parents during a violent argument and then committed suicide October 10, 1960 at the parent’s farmhouse outside of Hazel, South Dakota. The table had been set for breakfast, a radio was playing in the kitchen, and a clothes iron connected and ready for use in the dining room of the house. Authorities said, "there was no immediate explanation for the quarrel which led to the shootings" expect neighbors comments that the son "was known to be hot-tempered."

This could not be what the winner of a Silver Star in 1942 for bravery would have expected from his family. Flying over India he rode safely "through a flurry of bullets that peppered his transport plane," humorously becoming a casualty later that day upon landing safe from harm when "a dog at the officer’s mess bit his leg."

On that dangerously illustrious day of courage in the face of danger, Scott along with 1^st Lt. Joe Walker of Dayline, Louisiana and their enlisted man, D.C. Stuart of Artesia, New Mexico were awaiting completion of the loading of their transport when they came under attack.

Under such circumstances a flight crew would not be expected to take to the air but to seek shelter. Scott, Walker, and Stuart thought differently. "However, electing to save their airplane and cargo (consisting of 15 precious drums of 100 octane gasoline) from destruction, without regard for the personal danger involved, they took off at once." As soon as Scott and his crew were airborne they came under attack by "three Jap Zero fighters."

"Displaying extreme coolness, presence of mind and judgment, the airplane was so maneuvered that as each fighter attacked, they were unable to bring accurate fire on the transport." Scott’s transport was hit many times but only one of the 15 drums of fuel was punctured. Out of life-threatening danger, he proceeded to his destination three hours away. In a letter to his parents, where he enclosed his Silver Star for safe keeping, Vernon Scott described the events of the day, writing, "It was almost a miracle that his plane escaped exploding in flames."

The remains of Vernon Leslie Scott’s wife, Dorothy Margrete Scott, lie in Saint Lukes Lutheran Church Memorial Garden in Bellevue, Washington. The final resting place for her husband has not been determined. Vernon’s family plot is in the Rose Hill Cemetery in Clark, South Dakota, Block C Section VIII Lot 4.

* * *

2^nd Lt. Russell Eugene Speckman. (O-416912)

57^th PG 65^th PS

Flying 41-13454

February 12, 1919 - November 2, 1941

Spouse: unmarried.

The eldest of three children, Russell Eugene Speckman was working as a clerk in the local A&P grocery store in Ottawa, Illinois and had finished two years of college when he traveled to Peoria to enlist in the Army Air Corps October 15, 1940. He graduated advanced pilot training in Class 41-D at Brooks Field, Texas, with Vernon Scott and got his pilot rating May 29, 1941.

At the 57^th PG in Windsor Locks, Speckman added to his flight duties by being squadron athletic officer. There is a beautiful autographed color-tinted photograph Speckman sent to his mother. He’s obviously joyful in his pilot’s duds, silk scarf wrapped tightly around his neck and knotted; goggles pushed up onto his helmeted forehead. The caption says, "To the best mother from her loving son, Russell."

2^nd Lt. Russell Eugene Speckman is buried with his parents in Oakwood Memorial Park in Ottawa, Illinois.

* * *

2^nd Lt. Gordon Frank Thomas. (O-393559)

57^th PG 65^th PS

Flying #39-161

July 22, 1919 - February 22, 2012 (aged 92)

Spouse: Doris Watson Thomas (two daughters; one son)

October 20, 1921 - July 28, 2011 (aged 89)

Gordon Thomas was the eldest son of three sons and a daughter born to Frank A. Thomas, a farmer, and his wife Eva. Gordon’s 22 year old older sister, Floyce, was a third year college student at the time of the 1940 census.

After two years of study at the University of Wisconsin, Gordon Frank Thomas from Baraboo, Wisconsin enlisted in the Army Air Corps. He won his wings at Randolph Field in Texas in March of 1940. After eight months still with the 57^th PG (now renamed the 57^th Fighter Group) commanding a fighter squadron in the Libyan desert, in 1943 Thomas returned as a Lt. Colonel to the Zone of the Interior to instruct novice pilots in aerial combat techniques. He was eminently qualified to the task given his 105 combat flying hours and two Messerschmitts shot down to his credit. The squadron Thomas flew with was called the "Fighting Cocks."

During the 57^th PG debacle in California, Thomas was flying one of the earliest manufactured P-40s. According to David Doyle, the first P-40 off the assembly line on March 18, 1940 was #39-156 and Thomas flew #39-161. Gordon Thomas no doubt used his California experience to become a successful combat pilot in North Africa.

In a newspaper article from 1943 he discussed what it was like to confront the Luftwaffe in Tunisia. He compared combat flying to a game of football where it is, "so exciting that one does not think a great deal about it while it is going on, but immediately after it is over, there comes a let-down and the pilot begins to check his plane and instruments and wonder whether he is in shape to get back home." He says older German pilots are excellent and dangerous opponents but, understandably reflecting their lack of training and experience, "some of the newer ones are less aggressive and sometimes have a tendency to avoid combat."

During a return to the States after his combat missions in Tunisia, Gordon Frank Thomas met Doris Watson. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, Doris won an art scholarship after a brilliant high school career and early graduation. She decided to join the Army Air Corps instead of attending college and earned a second lieutenant’s commission. After meeting Lt. Col. Gordon Thomas she was selected to accompany him and other WACS on a Hollywood War Bonds Tour. They were married August 24, 1944 at Lowry Field, Colorado and spent the next 67 years together-he as a full bird colonel and she as the consummate hostess in station after station and move after move until Thomas retired in 1960. The family then moved to Orlando, Florida where Doris, became active in local politics. She owned a printing company, worked as a private detective, was executive director of a number of non-profit organizations, and held part ownership with her husband in a bookstore/café.

Colonel Gordon Frank Thomas, was awarded the Air Medal (for having flown more than 25 missions) and Distinguished Flying Cross. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 70 Site 2315 beside his wife, Lt. Doris Watson Thomas.

* * *

1^st Lt. Thomas LeRoy "Bud" Truax. (O-393163)

52^nd FG

Flying #41-13375

June 1, 1917 - November 2, 1941 (aged 24)

Spouse: Iona Evelyn Zink Truax Nelson (three children with her second husband, Robert Edgar Nelson)

August 13, 1917 - January 3, 2000 (aged 82)

Thomas LeRoy Truax was known to family and friends as "Bud." In the 1935 edition of the Wisconsin High School yearbook, 16 year old "Bud" was described as, "The mirror of courtesy." He was active in Boys’ Glee Club, played football and tennis and golf, and was active in Student Council amongst other activities.

Truax came from a family that not only valued education, they valued their commitment to returning their talents to society. His father was a shining example of that philosophy. A 1912 graduate of Iowa State, Thomas R. Truax Sr., developed tests for determining the effectiveness of fire retardant wood treatments. After retirement in 1956, Truax Senior worked with the Wood Technology Committee of the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization. Both his brothers and his sister attended college and each served their country.

"Bud" Truax and Iona Evelyn Zink met at the University of Wisconsin in Madison which they both attended. A Chi Psi fraternity brother, "Bud" graduated in 1939, and enlisted in the Army Air Corps on August 11^th and soon entered pilot training first in Missouri and later in Texas at Randolph Field and Brooks Field where he graduated advanced training in Class 40-B. Iona, also a University graduate, had been a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority.

Iona and "Bud" married May 27,1940 in the Madison Christ Presbyterian Church which was decorated with palms, ferns, and lighted white tapers. The wedding made a big splash in the society pages which described the bride. She wore a "tailored floor-length gown of white mousseline de soie trimmed with insertions of lace in the shirtwaist bodice, full bishop sleeves, and billowing skirt." Pearls held her "fingertip-length veil of bridal illusion" and she carried a bouquet of calla lilies and sweetpeas. It’s presumed that "Bud" Truax was in uniform. There were over 120 guests.

Madison’s favorite son has never been forgotten. After "Bud’s" death, the recently activated Madison Army Air Field was named Truax Field in 1942 in his honor. A brass memorial plaque donated by the Madison Rotary Club was unveiled in April, 1945 and dedicated by Wisconsin Governor Walter S. Goodland in remembrance of Lt. Thomas L. Truax. In 1964 the 22^nd anniversary of naming Truax Field was marked by a newspaper article recounting the deaths of "Bud" and Russell Speckman November 2, 1941. There was a chapter of Veterans of Foreign Wars named after "Bud" which held their meetings at Truax Field. Newspaper articles over the years have continued to remember Thomas L. Truax. They keep his memory alive as well as the Truax name, "one of the best known in the city" of Madison. Anybody who has flown into Madison Municipal Airport, which is the new name for Truax Field, has seen the oil painting and plaque of "Bud" hanging in the new airport terminal. The painting was commissioned by the Air Force and donated to the airport in 1966.

1^st Lt. Thomas LeRoy Truax was survived by his parents, a sister and two brothers. He is buried at the Forest Hill Cemetery in Madison, Wisconsin in Section 14, Lot 048. After her death in 2000 Iona was buried in Mill Valley, Marin County, very close to where her first husband’s P-40 crashed.

* * *

2^nd Lt. Weldon Elbert Veteto Jr. (O-416935)

57^th PG 66^th FS

June 6, 1918 - May 1, 2009 (aged 90)

Spouse: Rebecca Bayliss Veteto (no known children)

November 1, 1929 - October 19, 2010 (aged 80)

Weldon Elbert Veteto Jr., grew up in Deport, East Texas. His father, Elbert Sr., worked in the dry goods business and supplemented his income from raising cattle on the small ranch where the family resided.

Veteto Jr., began his higher education work in 1936 at nearby Paris Junior College. As a student at North Texas Agriculture College at Arlington in 1935 and at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, between 1938-1940, Veteto went by the name known by his family, Elbert. He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon while in Arkansas.

Weldon E. Veteto enlisted in the Army Air Corps on October 12, 1940 in Tyler, Texas traveling about two hours south from his hometown in the east Texas town of Deport to do so. Then, as now, Deport’s population was under 1000 and its main industry was agriculture. According to his enlistment papers Veteto was a slightly built 5'5" and 135 pounds.

Between 1948 and 1968 Veteto owned and operated East Texas Tractors and was active in his local First United Methodist Church. The business might have been located in Dallas as there are several newspaper accounts from Paris, the closest newspaper town 20 miles away, documenting Elbert’s visits from there. By 1952 he appears to have relocated to Marshall, Texas.

On May 7, 1965 Elbert Veteto was married to Rebecca Bayliss following the death of her first husband, Clarence Barlow. Major Weldon Elbert Veteto Jr., is buried beside his wife at Colonial Gardens in Marshall, Texas.

* * *

2^nd Lt. Jack Clifford West. (O-40740) and (OA-40740)

57^th PG 66 PS

Flying 39-285

June 10, 1919 - May 20, 1999

Spouse: Mildred Neal Lloyd (a daughter)

November 2, 1920 - ???

Jack West was born in Westoughton in the Greater Manchester area of northwestern England. Both his parents were English and after emigrating to the United States the family settled in the southern Iowa town of Centerville where the father, Robert, worked in the grocery business. Though Centerville is small in population it retains a solid, prosperous, and dynamic downtown built around a town square with the impressive Appanoose County Courthouse situated right in the middle of it. The West family lived a substantial three bedroom house on a large lot on the east side of town on E. Cottage.

With two years of post high school education from Centerville Junior College and Culver-Stockton College under his belt, on October 12, 1940 Jack West enlisted at the Ottumwa recruiting station as a United States Army Air Corps flying cadet. Reflecting the stringent acceptance rates for flight training at the time, he was "one of nine applicants selected out a total quota of 64," for the area encompassing Iowa, Minnesota, North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri, and Arkansas.

Jack completed flight training May 29, 1941 at Randolph Field, Texas, was commissioned a second lieutenant, and was eventually assigned to the 57^th PG at Mitchel Field before their move to Windsor Locks. But first there was a bit of excitement.

On his way to his wedding, June 17, 1941, with Miss Mildred Neal Lloyd, and accompanied by his mother, Jack West was in an automobile accident. Driving though Milton, Iowa, a collision occurred. The wedding was postponed three days with the bride wearing a "gown of white crepe and white accessories" and a shoulder corsage of gardenias. After the ceremony the newly married couple left immediately for Lt. West’s duty station in New York while family and friends enjoyed dinner. A $10,000 civil suit stemming from the accident was settled ten months later in favor of West and his mother. By October 22, 1942 Captain Jack West was commanding officer of the 317^th FS somewhere in or around Canton, Massachusetts.

West went overseas January 6, 1943 but not with the 57^th FG. He was first with the 325^th FG, and then the 33^rd FG. It was with this latter group when Jack West was shot down in April over in North Africa and reported missing in action for at least three weeks. He ended up spending two years as a German POW at Stalag Luft 3 in Sagan.

In later life, West lived in Green Valley (south of Tucson), Arizona. Major Jack Clifford West is buried two miles away from his boyhood home in Centerville’s Oakland Cemetery. He’s there along with his parents. West was a man proud of his military service. On his headstone it announces that fact in no uncertain terms: "USAF Fighter Pilot."

* * *

57^th PG 66^th HQ Squadron

Without Lt. Young’s service number it was not possible to positively identify him to trace his life history.

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Notes on the text in bold type

Unless otherwise mentioned, birth and death dates are either from www.findagrave.com or from Social Security death index taken from www.ancestry.com. Sources for cited newspaper articles comes from www.newspaperarchive.com. Sources for military data comes either from www.ancestry.com or www.fold3.com. Serial numbers of the flyers comes from the 57th Fighter Group website, http://57thfightergroup.org/history/getting_organized.

Full citations can be found in their respective sections in the bibliography. For clarity, names are highlighted in bold in the chapter text and here and endnotes are separated by stars in the chapter text for each individual flyer.

2nd Lt. Albert S. Aiken.

A December 18, 1939 photograph. Anonymous. "College Flyers Make Solo Flights."

Aiken enlisted in the Navy January 29, 1938 as an aviator. Anonymous. August 31, 1939. The "Report of Changes of U.S.N.R. Aviation Base, Washington, D.C."

An article from the United Press. Russell Annabel. "Gremlins Infest Aleutians." Nevada State Journal. January 10, 1943. Page 5.

There is a notice of marriage license applications. Anonymous. "Marriage License Applications for Albert S. Aikens and Berniece (sic) Clark."

there is a photo in the archive of a laughing Patricia snuggled on Albert's lap.

Patricia became active in local politics and served in Virginia's House of Delegates from 1975-1978. Anonymous. "Obituaries: Patricia Aiken."

2nd Lt. Robert Alexander Barnum.

three obviously delighted airmen. Anonymous. "Pilots Greet A Movie Queen." The Southington News and Cheshire Times. September 12, 1941. Page 2.

Robert Alexander Barnum was born in Lake City, MI. A copy of Barnum's obituary from an unnamed newspaper source is posted at his page on www.findagrave.com

2nd Lt. Glade Burke Bilby.

"Luck certainly was running my way." Anonymous. "Glade Bilby Forced to Bail Out In Mediterranean and Is Rescued." Maryville Daily Forum. August 3, 1943.

That's plain from an article appearing. Anonymous. "Glade Bilby to Graduate From Randolph Field." Northwest Missourian. March 29, 1941. Page 7.

Russell Speckman, Robert Barnum, and Bilby were probably good friends. Anonymous. "Lieut. Glade Bilby." Maryville Daily Forum." October 3, 1941. Page 12.

In 1957 Bilby and his copilot were killed. The others involved were Major Vincent Haneman (who survived the collision), Lt. James A. Bell of Greensboro, NC, and Lt. Charles F. Radcliff of Norfolk, VI. Data about the crash comes from the Glade Bilby page at www.findagrave.com

1st Lt. William Henry Birrell.

William Henry Birrell was the eldest of three sons born to George and Mary Ann Rook Birrell. Birrell, George A. "The Day it Rained P-40s." Letter to the editor. Air Classics. Vol. 12, No. 7. (July, 1976): 6.

A 1940 West Point graduate Anonymous. 1960 Cullum Memorial Edition Register of Graduates and Former Cadets 1802-1960 of the United States Military Academy. Page 443.

Davison Dalziel. Ibid. Dalziel (Cadet #11977, 0-23071; March 16, 1916 - November 2, 1960) is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 4, Site 5566 LH. His son, Davison "Doc" Dalziel III, (1943 - 2021) was the eldest of three children born to Colonel Davison Dalziel and Jean (Holden) Dalziel.

2nd Lt. Edwin F. Carey.

predeceased by two sons. Obituary for Edwin F. Carey Jr., and Milda B. Carey. DailyPress.com.

His father. http://arlingtoncemetery.net/efcarey.htm

a book he wrote. These We Honor-The International Aerospace Hall of Fame. Los Angeles, CA: The Garrett Corporation, 1984.

He had enlisted in the Army July 1, 1937. Army Register, 1947. Service record for Carey, Edwin F., jr. (034001).

with Peter McGoldrick and George Deaton at Kelly Field, Texas. Edwin F. Carey Jr. page at www.findagrave.com.

He also fought in Korea and Vietnam. https://da.billiongraves.com.

1st Lt. Philip Gerald Cochran.

he actually became the unreal life comic strip character. Ibid and, Jay Maeder. "The real Flip Corkin: The true story behind the war hero in the Daily News funny pages." New York Daily News. August 14, 2017.

on August 3, 1942. Caniff. The Complete Terry and the Pirates 1941-1942.

"Fighting Cock," mascot for the 57th PG 65th PS. Caniff. The Complete Terry and the Pirates 1943-1944. Page 24.

2nd Lt. George Charles "Bud" Deaton.

with Peter McGoldrick. Edwin F. Carey Jr. page at www.findagrave.com.

In 1941 Deaton was in Racine. Anonymous. "Army Air Corps Starts Marquette Recruit Post." Racine Journal Times. May 27, 1941. Page 2.

In May and June of that year he penned a batch of letters home Anonymous. "Mr. Harry Monahan is in receipt of the following letter from Major George C. Deaton." The Carbon County News. June 11, 1943. Page 4.

1st Lt. Charles Richard Fairlamb.

Charles Richard Fairlamb, Jr. Certificate of Marriage, Charles Richard Fairlamb and Judity Ann Roorda.

Charles Fairlamb was a 1940 graduate. Anonymous. 1960 Cullum Memorial Edition Register of Graduates and Former Cadets 1802-1960 of the United States Military Academy. Page 442.

a landing accident at Quonset Point Naval Air Station on March 1, 1942.

he was awarded the Soldier's Medal for bravery along with Philip Cochran. Anonymous. March 2, 2016. "Quonset Point Naval Air Station - March 1, 1942." Anonymous. March 2, 2016. "Quonset Point Naval Air Station - March 1, 1942."

While in Tunisia. Carl Molesworth. 57th Fighter Group, First in the Blue. Page 123.

Fairlamb flew 48 combat missions. Ibid. "Quonset Point Naval Air Station - March 1, 1942."

After retirement. Anonymous. 1960 Cullum Memorial Edition Register of Graduates and Former Cadets 1802-1960 of the United States Military Academy.

1st Lt. Harry Albright French.

A student at Arkansas State College 1932-1935 and 1940 graduate of West Point. Anonymous. 1960 Cullum Memorial Edition Register of Graduates and Former Cadets 1802-1960 of the United States Military Academy. Page 440.

After finishing flight training. Anonymous. ND. Biography: Brigadier General H.A. French.

Major Clayton Earl Hughes.

He graduated the military academy, class of 1929. Anonymous. 1960 Cullum Memorial Edition Register of Graduates and Former Cadets 1802-1960 of the United States Military Academy. Page 354,

the numbers of qualifying pilots. CITE Bernie Lay

"Early in his career." Email to Ms. Cindy Macha from John Norberg, August 27, 2019, quoted in Pat Macha. E-mail. August 31, 2019. The "Skylarks" were an acrobatic team of four Army Air Corps pilots stationed at Maxwell Field, Alabama. They were created in 1935, mentored by Captain Claire L. Chennault, and made a major demonstration of their abilities in September, 1937 at the National Air Races in Cleveland, Ohio. Using the Boeing P-12E pursuit fighter the "Skylarks" were adroit at tight formation flying, especially performing loops while in formation. Their displays also included barrel rolls, spins, Immelmanns, a double formation roll, inverted flight formation, and snap rolls from the top of a loop. In addition to Hughes the "Skylarks" included Capt. Charles D. McAllister, Lt. Wilbur W. Aring, and Lt. Carl D. Storrie. They disbanded in 1937 due to personnel reassignments.

It's been reported that Hughes began his army career in the calvary. Ralph A. Baxter and Norm Zareski. "Flight to Disaster Part I." Page 19

carrying a riding crop. Image of the 57th PG, Hanford Public Library, Hanford CT. Also, Ralph A. Baxter and Norm Zareski. "Flight to Disaster Part I." Ibid.

Hughes moved around quite a bit. 1960 Cullum Memorial Edition. Ibid.

His name appears in several Missing Air Crew Reports. Pat Macha. E-mail. August 31, 2019.

His death. Certification of Death, Clayton Earl Hughes, June 19, 1984.

LeClaire.

2nd Lt. Richard Norton Long.

"Hoping to spot wreckage of his brother's plane from the air." Anonymous. "Long Missing Plane Sought by Brother." San Bernardino Daily Sun.

Lt. Long was to be married to Rachel Emily Thomasson. "Thrilled At News." Somerset Daily American. October 31, 1941 and Anonymous. "Fate of Lieut. Long, Down in California Mountains, Unknown." Connellsville Daily Courier. October 27, 1941.

Several newspapers in Long's native state of Pennsylvania printed stories. Anonymous. "Believes Pilot Will Be Found." New Castle News. October 28, 1941, Anonymous. "Thrilled At News." Somerset Daily American. October 31, 1941, Anonymous. "Fiancé Awaits Aviator's Fate." Gettysburg Times. October 31, 1941, and Anonymous. "Remains Hopeful." Berkeley Daily Gazette. November 1, 1941. In an article published by the Somerset Daily American on October 31, 1941 not only are Lt. Lydon and Lt. West reported as found, so is Richard Long. That must have been a bitter pill to swallow for Rachel Thomasson.

crash site was discovered in July, 1959. Anonymous. "World War II Wreck Found." San Mateo Times. July 16, 1959.

1st Lt. Leonard Clair Lydon.

and completed pursuit flight training June 16, 1938. Beneficiary's, Application World War II Service Compensation for Leonard Clair Lydon. June 9, 1949.

Lydon's first record of overseas service. Ibid.

A newspaper article from December, 1943. Anonymous. "Iowa Boy Leads Planes Helping Allied Forces." Muscatine Journal and News Tribune.

In a January 22, 1944 syndicated column. Kenneth L. Dixon. "Pilots Who Flew Invasion Cover Tell of Landings." Burlington Daily Times-News and Corsicana Daily Sun.

"unexpectedly fired on a staff car in which he was riding." Anonymous. "Stuart Ace Flier Accidently Killed." Atlantic News Telegraph.

Newspapers covering his death. Anonymous. "Iowa Flyer Is Killed by Sentry." Council Bluffs Nonpareil.

he was buried with a military service. Anonymous. "Rites At Stuart Thursday For Leonard C. Lydon." Atlantic News Telegraph.

2nd Lt. Ralph D. Matthews.

It's on a memorial. Tablets of the Missing at Honolulu Memorial, Honolulu, Hawaii.

he was serving with the 18th Fighter Squadron of the 342rd Fighter Group. American Battle Monuments Commission.

A high school graduate. United States Federal Census, 1940.

received his pilot rating on March 14, 1941. Technical Report of Aircraft Accident Classification Committee for P-40 #41-13333 for 2nd Lt. Ralph D. Matthews.

Born 14 years after. Certificate of Marriage, Lynn Matthews and Minnie Gibson.

he was "strafing the grounded planes." William L. Worden. "Planes Of Enemy On Beach Hit." Fairbanks Daily News Miner" and Anonymous. "Japs Return to Attu." Butte Montana Standard.

The article. Anonymous. "Texans Get Air Awards In Alaska."

"unaccountable remains." Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, Unaccounted-for-Remains.

Captain Peter G. McGoldrick.

13th Field Artillery. Anonymous. "Peter McGoldrick Graduates From Military Academy." Pittsfield Berkshire Evening Eagle.

in a special ceremony. Anonymous. "Berkshire Cadets a West Point To Receive Commissions Friday." Pittsfield Berkshire Evening Eagle. The same newspaper article goes on to extol Peter McGoldrick's virtues. "A member of the 13th field artillery at Schofield Barracks, for two years, McGoldrick won a competitive examination while there and received an appointment to West Point." While there he excelled in sports winning "class numerals in rifle and soccer." The article follows with the almost odd comment (given the experience of the late past Great War) that, "Upon graduation, he will be commissioned in the cavalry."

presented by 1886 West Point graduate. Ibid. A three months furlough was then granted to all graduates before being required to attend to their assigned stations. McGoldrick's mother anad sister, Margaret, attended the ceremony.

"original George Westinghouse inventive group." John A. Schweizer. "Lee War Hero Remembered With Plaque at Y Center."

West Point Preparatory School. A one academic year program to help prepare students for admission to the Military Academy. https://military-history.fandom.com/wiki/United_States_Military_Academy_Preparatory_School.

returning to the United States in 1938. Passenger List United States Transport "Chateau Thierry" Arriving August 3, 1938.

as their first commanding officer. https://79thfightergroup.com/history

He was killed in action. Ibid.

a German POW. Anonymous. "Lieut. Col. McGoldrick Is German Prisoner." Pittsfield Berkshire Evening Eagle.

memorialized their favorite son. Schweizer. Ibid.

1st Lt. Frank Henry Mears.

Citrus Junior College. Anonymous. "EAFB Officer to Talk to Oildale Rotarians." Now known as Citrus College, it is located in the town of Glendora, about 26 miles east of Los Angeles, in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. At the time Mears was in attendance the college was operated by the Citrus Union High School district.

In 1937 he was stationed in Honolulu. Passenger List United States Transport "St. Mihiel" Arriving Honolulu October 7, 1937.

By 1959. Anonymous. "EAFB Officer to Talk to Oildale Rotarians."

flight tests for prototype aircraft. Connie Staes. "Airmen Eye New Heights." Star News.

retired from the Air Force in 1961. Anonymous. "Years Ago in The Californian." Bakersfield Californian.

production designer for Convair. Anonymous. "Obituaries: Frank Mears." San Diego Union-Tribune.

2nd Lt. Wynn Dixon "Windy" Miller.

Wynn Miller of Troop 5. Anonymous. "One Scout Earns Money To Camp." Moberly Monitor Index.

had to bail out over Japanese occupied territory in Burma. Obituary for Wynn Dixon Miller. Porter Loring Mortuary.

He was one of 23 candidates. Lester Silbernagel. Editor. Savitar of 1934.

2nd Lt. James Eugene Miles Jr.

All references are from Ancestry.com and electronic and paper copies are in the author's possession.

2nd Lt. John Harold Pease Jr.

Most of the biography for Lt. Pease comes from an interview with the author, November 15, 2019, and the P-47 Thunderbolt Pilots Association, http://p47pilots.com/P47-Pilots.cfm?c=incP47BiographyHome.cfm&vm=BIO&pilotid=442&p=John%20H.%20Pease

Civilian Pilot Training Program. The CPTP was another acronym of the Roosevelt Administration's New Deal. It began in 1939 as part of the country' war-preparedness by offering aviation classes to civilians. "The idea was to prepare a pool of civilian pilots for military service in the eventuality of war," and the CPTP eventually became of the largest government-sponsored vocational programs of its time. Peter Stekel. Beneath Haunted Waters: The Tragic Tale of Two B-24s Lost in the Sierra Nevada Mountains During World War II. Page 65-66.

Jack Chennault's "Baby Flying Tigers." Chennault was the son of Claire Chennault and hence the reference.

"Heap Big Wheel." https://www.366thgunfighters.org/heap-big-wheel.html

2nd Lt. Walter V. Radovich.

"joined the military because he always wanted to be a fighter pilot." Veterans History Project. Walter V. Radovich Collection.

Fremont High School. Anonymous. "Walter Radovich Obituary." Los Angeles Times.

The high school is located in San Pedro in south Los Angeles. Glendale Junior College, now known as Glendale Community College, is located north of Los Angeles and near Pasadena in the shadow of the San Gabriel Mountains. In 1944 the Santa Barbara State Teachers College became the University of California, Santa Barbara.

His old CO, Cochran, encouraged Radovich to volunteer with the 1st Air Commandos.

He's credited with four enemy aircraft destroyed. Anonymous. "Army & Navy-The Major and God." Time.

After the War. "Walter Radovich Obituary." Ibid.

2nd Lt. Vernon Leslie Scott.

during a violent argument. Anonymous. "Hazel Farm Couple, Son Murder, Suicide Victims." Mitchell Daily Republic.

"there was no immediate explanation for the quarrel which led to the shootings." Ibid.

"a dog at the officer's mess bit his leg." Anonymous. "Jap Machine Gun Attack Fails To Stop Hazel Youth." Huron Evening Huronite.

awaiting completion of the loading of their transport when they came under attack. Anonymous. "Hazel Flyer Awarded Silver Star For Part In Staving Off Jap Zeros." Huron Evening Huronite.

"three Jap Zero fighters." Ibid.

"Displaying extreme coolness." Ibid.

In a letter to his parents. Ibid.

2nd Lt. Russell Eugene Speckman.

All citations are from Fold3, Ancestry.com, or the Findagrave website.

2nd Lt. Gordon Frank Thomas.

two years of study at the University of Wisconsin. "Lieutenant Colonel, Only 23, Visits Baraboo After Victory." Wisconsin State Journal.

won his wings at Randolph Field in Texas in March of 1940. Anonymous. "Baraboo." Madison Capital Times. Baraboo, Wisconsin is approximately an hour's drive north of Madison.

the Libyan desert. Anonymous. "Area Flier Chosen to Train New Men for Aerial Warfare." Madison State Journal.

105 combat flying hours and two Messerschmitts shot down to his credit. Irene Underkofler. "Lieutenant Colonel, Only 23, Visits Baraboo After Victory." Ibid.

According to David Doyle. David Doyle. Curtiss P-40 Warhawk, The Famous Flying Tigers Fighter. Page 10.

He compared combat flying to a game of football. "Lieutenant Colonel, Only 23, Visits Baraboo After Victory." Ibid.

Doris won an art scholarship. Anonymous. "Doris Thomas Obituary." In author's possession. July 28, 2011.

War Bonds Tour. Anonymous. "Doris Thomas Obituary." In author's possession. July 28, 2011. War bonds were a primary way the United States of America financed the War without raising taxes. These bonds were debt securities issued by the federal government to finance its military operations and war bonds were offered at a lower than market rate return. Investment relied on emotional appeals to patriotic citizens to make the unheard of request at any time to lend their government money. Successful war bond drives usually featured popular entertainers traveling with recently returned combat veterans (i.e. war heros) from the front lines.

Doris, became active in local politics. Anonymous. "Doris Thomas Obituary." In author's possession. July 28, 2011.

(for having flown more than 25 missions). Pilots had to spend more than an hour flying behind enemy lines on 25 missions to gain the award. "Area Flier Chosen to Train New Men for Aerial Warfare." Madison State Journal.

1st Lt. Thomas LeRoy Truax.

Thomas R. Truax Sr., developed tests for determining the effectiveness of fire retardant wood treatments. Anonymous. "Father of pilot, Thomas Truax Dies." Madison Wisconsin State Journal.

enlisted in the Army Air Corps on August 11th. Application of Headstone of Marker.

"tailored floor-length gown of white mousseline de soie." Louise C. Marston. "Miss Iona E. Zink, Lt. Thomas Truax Are Wed Saturday." Madison Wisconsin State Journal and Kathryn M. Rupp. "Iona Zink1st Repeats Vows with Lieut. Thomas Truax." Madison Capital Times.

A brass memorial plaque. Anonymous. "Truax Field Will Be Officially Dedicated Friday." Monroe Evening Times.

the 22nd anniversary of naming Truax Field. Anonymous. "Today Marks 22nd Year After Truax Field Named." Madison Wisconsin State Journal.

a chapter of Veterans of Foreign Wars. Anonymous. "Thomas Truax Groups to Install." Madison Wisconsin State Journal.

Newspaper articles over the years have continued to remember Thomas L. Truax. Anonymous. "Truax died in crash in U.S." Madison Wisconsin State Journal. January 3, 1985.

has seen the oil painting and plaque of "Bud." Doug Moe. "Crash killed Truax 50 years ago." Madison Capital Times.

2nd Lt. Weldon Elbert Veteto Jr.

supplemented his income from raising cattle. Anonymous. "Courtesy Award Goes to Veteto." Paris News. January 1, 1956.

at nearby Paris Junior College. Anonymous. "Looking Back." Paris News. September 10, 1986.

He was a member of Sigma Phi Epsilon. Anonymous. 1938. University of Arkansas Yearbook.

there are several newspaper accounts from Paris. Paris News Correspondent. "Deport." Paris News. Febrary 3, 1948.

By 1952 he appears to have relocated to Marshall, Texas. Paris News Service. "Deport." Paris News. March 16, 1952. Page 7.

Veteto was married to Rebecca Bayliss following the death of her first husband, Clarence Barlow. Anonymous. "Rebecca Bayliss Veteto Obituary."

2nd Lt. Jack Clifford West.

(OA-40740). Service numbers for officers begin with an "O" (not a zero). An "AO" officer prefix was created in 1935 and was intended for Regular Army officers who were aviators in the Army Air Corps. Why West gets two and not one service number and why this is reflected in only his Army Register record is a conundrum.

small in population. 1940 census shows a population of 8413 and the 2020 census shows 5412.

Centerville Junior College and Culver-Stockton College. Anonymous. "Centerville Air Corps Man Is Wed." Ottumwa Daily Courier. June 20, 1941. Culver–Stockton College is a private co-ed Christian liberal arts college in Canton, Missouri.

one of nine applicants selected out a total quota of 64." Anonymous. "Enlists As Flying Cadet." Ottumwa Daily Courier. October 14, 1940.

"gown of white crepe and white accessories." Anonymous. "Centerville Air Corps Man Is Wed." Ottumwa Daily Courier. June 20, 1941.

A $10,000 civil suit. Anonymous. "Settle Two Damage Suits." Burlington Daily Hawk Eye Gazette. April 13, 1942.

By October 22, 1942. Anonymous. "Commanding Officer of Watkins Mayo Writes to Parents." Tulia Herald." October 22, 1942. "It is with the deepest regret that I write to you on this occasion, Your son, and my friend, Watkins Mayo, while on a flying mission October 13, 1942, came to an accidental death at Canton, Mass. Watkins was held in the highest esteem by all who worked and lived with him..." On Mayo's headstone at the Rose Hill Cemetery in Tulia, Texas, it says he was in the "317 FTR. SQ."

West went overseas January 6, 1943. Application to State of Iowa for World War II Service Compensation for Jack C. West. May 31, 1949.

shot down in April over in North Africa. Anonymous. "Centerville airman Mission In Africa." Ottumwa Daily Courier. April 27, 1943.

Stalag Luft 3 in Sagan. NARA, National Archives. Jack C. West. The Camp was made famous by the book and movie, The Great Escape.

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