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| Sheldon "Smoky" Stover, 1944 |
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| Current Address: |
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20622 N. 106th Lane, Peoria, AZ 85382-2248 |
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| Email: |
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| Family Information: |
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Parents: Nelson and Inez; Wife: Anne; Children: Douglas, Timothy |
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| Hometown: |
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Berrien Center, MI |
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| Date Entered Service: |
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October 1942 |
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| Service Number: |
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16087481 |
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| Bomb Group: |
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462nd Bomb Group |
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| Squadron: |
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768th Bomb Squadron |
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| Location of Unit: |
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Piardoba, India; July 12, 1944 |
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| Missions Flown: |
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31 |
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| Hump Missions Flown: |
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12 |
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| Targets: |
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Bangkok, Singapore, Nagoya, Hamamatsu, Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Kobe, Fukuoka, others |
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| Awards/Decorations: |
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Air Medal with 2 clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross with cluster, Distinguished Unit Citations (4) |
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| Service Schools Attended: |
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Airplane Mechanic Dec 1942; Electrical Spec. Apr 1943; Armorer Gunner Aug 1943 |
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| Military Specialty(ies): |
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MOS 1685-Airplane Electrical Mechanic-Gunner
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| Rank Upon Discharge: |
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S/Sgt. / CMSgt. (Ret.) |
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| Crew Type: |
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Flight crew |
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| Airplane Serial No.& Name: |
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42-6346 Man-O-War |
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| Were you a POW? |
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No |
| If so, where? |
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| Were you interned? |
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No |
| If so, where? |
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| Date Transferred from the 58th: |
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August, 1945 |
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| Date Discharged from the 58th: |
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October, 1945 |
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| Post-WWII Service: |
| I reenlisted and served on a flight crew in the 43rd BW Tucson, AZ on B-29s until 1949. I transferred to 2nd BW, Savannah, GA on B-50s. In 1953 I quit flying and attended B-47 school in Amarillo, TX going back to 2nd BW until 1959 then transferring to 43 BW, Ft. Worth, TX on B-58 Supersonic Bombers on to Little Rock, AK. Left SAC for a 3-year tour in Bermuda as Line Chief. Back to SAC, Riverside, CA in 1969 as Bomber Branch Chief on B-52s. Then back to Ft. Worth, TX assigned to Engineering Division of HQ SAC where I retired in 1972. |
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| Post-WWII Civilian Occupation(s): |
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| Thoughts on the 58th Bomb Wing: |
| I was on the first replacement crew in the 768th Sqd having trained on B-29s in Clovis, NM. We flew the oldest B-29s including the YBs. So getting a new aircraft and going to combat was less dangerous than flying in Clovis. I had more harrowing experiences after the war while flying an additional 7,000 hours. |
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| Comments: |
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| Crew photo, 1943 |
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| Sheldon and Anne Stover, 2003 |
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