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| William Johnson, Clovis, NM 1944 |
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| Current Address: |
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18914 Marine View Dr., SW, Seattle, WA 98166-3846
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| Email: |
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| Family Information: |
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Parents: William and Mary; Wife: Josephine; Children: Robert, Cindy
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| Hometown: |
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Blytheville, AR |
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| Date Entered Service: |
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November 7 1942 |
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| Service Number: |
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18169313
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| Bomb Group: |
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468th |
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| Squadron: |
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793rd |
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| Location of Unit: |
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CBI - arrived June 18 1944 |
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| Missions Flown: |
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35 - 19 from CBI and 16 from West Field, Tinian
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| Hump Missions Flown: |
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27 |
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| Targets: |
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Palembang, Anshan, Formosa, Rangoon, Omura, Mukden, Nagoya, Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, Kobe, Takasuki, Kure, Takamatsu, Utsonomiya, Namazu, Fukui
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| Awards/Decorations: |
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Good Conduct Medal, Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Distinguished Flying Cross, Asiatic-Pacific Theater Ribbon with 4 Battle Stars and 1 Bronze Service Stars, several Unit Citations
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| Service Schools Attended: |
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Airplane Electrical - Chanute Field, IL Jun 1943; Boeing Flight School, Seattle, WA Oct 1943; B-29 Armorers - Lowery Field, Denver, CO Dec 1943
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| Military Specialty(ies): |
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MOS 1685-B-29 Left Gunner
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| Rank Upon Discharge: |
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Staff Sergeant |
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| Crew Type: |
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Flight crew |
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| Airplane Serial No.& Name: |
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42-24487 Bengal Lancer, 42-63415 Jolly Roger, 44-69977 Miss Peggy
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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 6 1945 |
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| Date Discharged from the 58th: |
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September 18 1945 |
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| Post-WWII Military Service: |
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Served 3 years (3/20/50 to 5/19/53) in AFRES (non-flying) Air Installation (497th Boeing Field, Seattle) unit. Call up for active duty (21 months) on 2/16/51 to 10/25/52; included 18 months of active duty with 73rd Air Installation; 73rd Air Depot Wing in Chateauroux, France (NATO). I was the NCOIC of the Engineering Office while at this base. Upon returning to Seattle was put on inactive reserve status. At my request I was discharged from the AFRES on May 19, 1953 with the rank of M/Sgt.
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| Post-WWII Civilian Occupation(s): |
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Worked as civil engineer in construction as project engineer, estimator, superintendent to project manager with corporate officer positions.
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| Thoughts on the 58th Bomb Wing: |
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I feel it was a privilege and honor to have been chosen to serve with the 468th (the Billy Mitchell Group) from 6/28/44 to my last mission on 7/28/45.
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| Comments: |
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In my opinion, the flight crews' survival was due to the ground crews (crew chief, mechanics, armorers, control tower operators, Boeing engineers, and all the other ground personnel) that were dedicated hard-working people that made the 58th a great organization.
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