The Man Behind the Name
Served as spare co-pilot on B-24 at Hardwick, England. Participated in Rhineland bombing and Central Europe area. After five missions with original crew (which was chosen for lead crew training), chose to become a spare co-pilot to finish missions sooner as prerequisite for fighter training. The war ended before he could complete his tour. Received Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters.
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.
Born Aug. 31, 1921 in Driftwood, PA. Enlisted USAAC Nov. 27, 1942 as aviation cadet and pilot. Training at Miami Beach, FL; Clinton, SC (CTD); Nashville, TN (Classification Center); Maxwell Field, AL (pre-flight); Clarksdale, MS (primary); Greenville, MS (basic); Lawrenceville, IL (advanced); Chanute Field, IL; Westover Field, MA (crew training); Savannah, GA.
Discharged Dec. 14, 1945. Received Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters. Returned to University of Detroit; degrees in mechanical engineering (1947), MS automotive engineering (1949), MBA University of Michigan (1970). Retired from Ford Motor Co. in 1984. Married in 1947; 14 children. Crew has held regular reunions since 1945.