Earl became a POW of the Japanese and his actual date of death is unknown although it was between August 25, 1944 and prior to September, 1945. The above date is when he was "officially" declared dead by the military.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Earl served as a Staff Sergeant & Gunner on B-24J #44-40596, 72nd Bomber Squadron, 5th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Warren County, Illinois prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on March 31, 1941, prior to the war, in Chicago, Illinois. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in the fabrication of metal products and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #44-40596 took off from Wakde Airfield, with a crew of 10 and other B-24's, on a Strike Mission over the Palau Islands. After a successful bombing run they were attacked by multiple Japanese aircraft and shot down crashing into the sea. Some of the crew were able to parachute out.
Earl, a survivor of the above crash, "Died While A POW" of the Japanese Army during the war.
He was awarded the Prisoner Of War Medal, Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # 36014451
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40596:
Blanchard, Henry M, II ~ 1st Lt, Navigator, FL
Curry, Earl R ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, IL
Evans, Reuben M ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, AL
Hedrick, Von O ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, NC
Lecakes, Gregory ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, NY
Matthews, Joel M ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, GA
Moe, William H, Jr ~ 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, IL
Pennington, Ernest R ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, WV
Rea, Grant M ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, CA
Sempel, Judd C ~ 1st Lt, Bombardier, WA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Earl served as a Staff Sergeant & Gunner on B-24J #44-40596, 72nd Bomber Squadron, 5th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Warren County, Illinois prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on March 31, 1941, prior to the war, in Chicago, Illinois. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in the fabrication of metal products and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #44-40596 took off from Wakde Airfield, with a crew of 10 and other B-24's, on a Strike Mission over the Palau Islands. After a successful bombing run they were attacked by multiple Japanese aircraft and shot down crashing into the sea. Some of the crew were able to parachute out.
Earl, a survivor of the above crash, "Died While A POW" of the Japanese Army during the war.
He was awarded the Prisoner Of War Medal, Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # 36014451
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40596:
Blanchard, Henry M, II ~ 1st Lt, Navigator, FL
Curry, Earl R ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, IL
Evans, Reuben M ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, AL
Hedrick, Von O ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, NC
Lecakes, Gregory ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, NY
Matthews, Joel M ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, GA
Moe, William H, Jr ~ 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, IL
Pennington, Ernest R ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, WV
Rea, Grant M ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, CA
Sempel, Judd C ~ 1st Lt, Bombardier, WA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Earl became a POW of the Japanese and his actual date of death is unknown although it was between August 25, 1944 and prior to September, 1945. The above date is when he was "officially" declared dead by the military.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Earl served as a Staff Sergeant & Gunner on B-24J #44-40596, 72nd Bomber Squadron, 5th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Warren County, Illinois prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on March 31, 1941, prior to the war, in Chicago, Illinois. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in the fabrication of metal products and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #44-40596 took off from Wakde Airfield, with a crew of 10 and other B-24's, on a Strike Mission over the Palau Islands. After a successful bombing run they were attacked by multiple Japanese aircraft and shot down crashing into the sea. Some of the crew were able to parachute out.
Earl, a survivor of the above crash, "Died While A POW" of the Japanese Army during the war.
He was awarded the Prisoner Of War Medal, Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # 36014451
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40596:
Blanchard, Henry M, II ~ 1st Lt, Navigator, FL
Curry, Earl R ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, IL
Evans, Reuben M ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, AL
Hedrick, Von O ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, NC
Lecakes, Gregory ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, NY
Matthews, Joel M ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, GA
Moe, William H, Jr ~ 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, IL
Pennington, Ernest R ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, WV
Rea, Grant M ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, CA
Sempel, Judd C ~ 1st Lt, Bombardier, WA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Earl served as a Staff Sergeant & Gunner on B-24J #44-40596, 72nd Bomber Squadron, 5th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Warren County, Illinois prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on March 31, 1941, prior to the war, in Chicago, Illinois. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in the fabrication of metal products and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #44-40596 took off from Wakde Airfield, with a crew of 10 and other B-24's, on a Strike Mission over the Palau Islands. After a successful bombing run they were attacked by multiple Japanese aircraft and shot down crashing into the sea. Some of the crew were able to parachute out.
Earl, a survivor of the above crash, "Died While A POW" of the Japanese Army during the war.
He was awarded the Prisoner Of War Medal, Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # 36014451
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40596:
Blanchard, Henry M, II ~ 1st Lt, Navigator, FL
Curry, Earl R ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, IL
Evans, Reuben M ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, AL
Hedrick, Von O ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, NC
Lecakes, Gregory ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, NY
Matthews, Joel M ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, GA
Moe, William H, Jr ~ 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, IL
Pennington, Ernest R ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, WV
Rea, Grant M ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, CA
Sempel, Judd C ~ 1st Lt, Bombardier, WA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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