Charles R. Bishop.
Waist Gunner · 409th Squadron · Of Ferndale, MI.
The Man Behind the Name
Charles R. Bishop embarked on the USS Uruguay for Liverpool, England, and from there went to Northern Ireland for advanced training before entering combat. His crew was assigned to Hardwick air base near Norwich, England, where they completed 30 missions, 26 as lead, in the 329th Bomb Squadron, 93rd Bomb Group.
He was awarded the Air Medal with one Silver Oak Leaf Cluster, the European Theatre Ribbon with one Silver Star, and the Presidential Citation. He was among the first to return to New York from England, arriving on V-E Day, May 8, 1945.
Service record.
Missions flown.
The missions below are those we have been able to document for this airman, drawn from flight logs, mission records, and archival sources. It is not necessarily a complete account of every mission flown; gaps may reflect missing documentation, transferred assignments, or records lost to time.
Before and after.
Charles R. Bishop was born May 16, 1924. He joined the AAC on February 5, 1943, shortly after graduating from Lincoln High School in Ferndale, MI. He received basic training in St. Petersburg, FL in the jungle area known as Tent City. He was then sent to Lowry Field, CO for Air Force Technical School to study airplane armament, graduating on December 6, 1943 after nine weeks of schooling. He then attended Aerial Gunnery School at Laredo, TX and received his wings on February 14, 1943. He was assigned his crew at Tonopah, NV, where his crew received overseas training in practice bombing missions and air gunnery. Their pilot was Hollis H. Hunt.
Bishop was discharged on V-J Day, August 14, 1945 at Fort Sheridan, IL. He returned to Ferndale, MI, where he worked in the building industry with his father before joining his brother in the tool and die business. He later moved to Naples, FL at age 49, spending three years in a custom cabinet business before obtaining a real estate license. He continued to hold an active real estate license in Naples, FL, where he had lived for 20 years. Bishop was married to a girl from Pontiac, MI for 47 years and had one son.