Paul E. Hood.
Of Clare, IA.
The man.
Served with 329th and 328th Bomb Sqdn., 93rd Bomb Group, Hardwick, England as armorer gunner on B-24. Flew 35 combat missions over France, Germany, Rhineland, Ardennes, and Central Europe. Memorable experiences include the lead crew low-level crossing of the Rhine, and a pre-takeoff bomb check in which he discovered three bombs without safety pins (one a 500-lb bomb), followed by a flat tire and crash at the end of the field on takeoff.
Service record.
Missions flown.
Before and after.
Born Feb. 1, 1921 in Clare, IA. Joined service July 14, 1942. Stationed at Camp Roberts Infantry; aviation cadet training at San Antonio and Waco; Armament School in Denver; Gunnery School at Tyndall Field, FL.
Discharged July 19, 1945 at Fort MacArthur as staff sergeant. Received Air Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, EAME Campaign Medal. Graduated University of Southern California in 1949 as civil engineer. Worked for California State Dept. of Water Resources for 34 years; assistant to district engineer of Los Angeles for 10 years. Retired June 1983. Married Martha Olsen Likkens in August 1953; four sons, four daughters, two grandchildren.