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| Melvin Scherer, 1942 |
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| Current Address: |
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P. O. Box 377, 603 Liveoak Drive, Johnson City, TX 78636 |
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| Email: |
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This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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| Family Information: |
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Parents: Howell and Beulah; Siblings: James, Robert |
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| Hometown: |
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Mattoon, IL |
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| Date Entered Service: |
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Dec 17, 1941 |
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| Service Number: |
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A0667197 |
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| Bomb Group: |
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468th Bomb Group |
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| Squadron: |
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795th Bomb Squadron |
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| Location of Unit: |
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Smoky Hill AAFB, Salina, KS |
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| Missions Flown: |
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8 combat |
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| Hump Missions Flown: |
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15 |
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| Targets: |
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Sasebo, Palembang, Anshan, Formosa, Omura, Nagasaki, aerial search for Col. Carmichael; our last mission over Japan was diverted to Russia. |
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| Awards/Decorations: |
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Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, POW Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Unit Citation with Oak Leaf Cluster, American Theater Ribbon, African-Middle East Theater Ribbon, Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon with Silver Star |
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| Service Schools Attended: |
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Flying (Pilot) School-Grider Field, AR Apr 1942; Navigation School-Hondo, TX Nov 1942; Bombardier School-Midland, TX Jan 1943 |
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| Military Specialty(ies): |
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MOS 1034-Navigator, MOS 1035-Bombardier |
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| Rank Upon Discharge: |
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Captain |
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| Crew Type: |
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Flight crew |
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| Airplane Serial No.& Name: |
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42-6365 General H.H. Arnold Special |
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| Were you a POW? |
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Yes |
| If so, where? |
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| Were you interned? |
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Yes |
| If so, where? |
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Russia |
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| Date Transferred from the 58th: |
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November 11, 1944 (interned in Russia) |
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| Date Discharged from the 58th: |
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November 11, 1944 (POW) |
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| Post-WWII Military Service: |
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Flew K-B29 Tankers & B-50 Bombers, Savannah, GA: B-47 Bombers, Barksdale AFB, LA & Lockbourne AFB, OH; Missile Launch Control Commander (Titan I Rocket) Beale AFB, CA; Base Communications Officer, Carswell AFB, TX; retired Jan 1967 at Carswell AFB, TX. |
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| Post-WWII Civilian Occupation(s): |
| Worked on F-111 Fighter/bomber program as Technical Writer at General Dynamics, Ft. Worth, TX; worked on Navy F-9 program at LTV, Dallas, TX. Raised grapefruit and oranges on orchard near Mission, TX for 10 years. Retired at age 62 and traveled all over United States in 5th Wheel RV. |
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| Thoughts on the 58th Bomb Wing: |
| I think General LeMay recognized how cumbersome and inefficient it was to fly over the Hump with gasoline and supplies and then to fly to the Japanese mainland to bomb the targets. We did not have Tinian and Iwo Jima yet, so there was no other way. My memories of the training, the trip to India, and the missions in general are still very vivid in my mind. Of course, we were all young then and impressionable. |
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| Comments: |
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| Scherer, Feldman, Price, Gen. LeMay, Higgins |
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| Mel Scherer, 2003 |
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