Ernest served as a Technical Sergeant & Engineer / 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 Kanawha County, West Virginia prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on October 26, 1942 in Huntington, West Virginia. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in a machine shop 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.
Ernest was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # 35637050
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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, Family Link & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Kanawha County, West Virginia prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on October 26, 1942 in Huntington, West Virginia. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in a machine shop 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.
Ernest was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # 35637050
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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, Family Link & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ernest served as a Technical Sergeant & Engineer / 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 Kanawha County, West Virginia prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on October 26, 1942 in Huntington, West Virginia. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in a machine shop 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.
Ernest was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # 35637050
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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, Family Link & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Kanawha County, West Virginia prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on October 26, 1942 in Huntington, West Virginia. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed in a machine shop 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.
Ernest was declared "Missing In Action" in this crash during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart.
Service # 35637050
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
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, Family Link & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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