Military Service

• Aerial Gunner in 93rd Bombardment

  Enlisted: February 5, 1943, Sacramento, CA
  Discharged: Las Vegas Army Air Field, Nevada
• Served as an aerial gunner aboard the B-24 Liberator with the 93rd Bombardment Group, assigned to the 330th Bomb Squadron of the 8th Air Force. He trained and deployed during the height of World War II, serving in both the European Theater of Operations and the American Theater, where he flew anti-submarine patrols over the Caribbean early in his service.
• The role of a gunner was to operate one of the B-24’s multiple .50 caliber machine gun stations, defending the bomber against enemy fighters and flak. Each gunner typically had a fixed position on the aircraft—such as top turret, tail, waist, or ball turret—and was responsible for covering a specific field of fire. Given his smaller stature and the fact that he was one of only two survivors of a crash that killed the rest of his crew, it’s possible he occupied a central position like top turret or waist gunner, which offered relatively better protection and escape options.
• While stationed in England, he flew combat missions as part of the Allies’ strategic bombing campaign across Germany, France, Norway, and Eastern Europe. His bomb group, the 93rd BG, nicknamed the Traveling Circus, was one of the most experienced and heavily decorated heavy bomber units of the war. They flew major operations, including the infamous Ploesti raid over Romania, one of the deadliest missions of the conflict. While he enlisted after that specific raid, mentions of Ploesti and Oslo in newspaper reports link his unit directly to those theaters.
• At some point during his time in combat, he was injured when his plane went down behind enemy lines. Only one other crew member survived alongside him, and he was later awarded the Purple Heart for surviving the crash and making it back to allied territory alone and on foot. He also received the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with Two Oak Leaf Clusters, and campaign ribbons for participating in three major operations in the European Theater.
• Military Decorations earned:
•     Distinguished Flying Cross – for extraordinary achievement during flight
•     Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters – awarded for multiple acts of aerial merit
•     Purple Heart – for being wounded in action
•     European Theater Ribbon with three Bronze Stars – indicating involvement in three major campaigns
•     American Theater Ribbon – for earlier duty in anti-submarine patrols in the Caribbean
• He is pictured in one photo with a B-24 named 'Solid Comfort' (tail number 42-50501, squadron code AG-M) of the 330th Bomb Squadron, though the specific crew he belonged to has not yet been discovered. A request for his full military personnel file is on my lengthy to-do list.