World War II United States Army Officer. He was the navigator for "Crew 6" in the Raid over Tokyo, Japan on April 18, 1942. Crew 6 had the highest casualty rate of the raid. The two enlisted men drowned after the pilot was forced to ditch the plane off the China coast after running out of fuel. The three remaining officers, including Nielsen, were taken as POWs. He spent 40 months in the Japanese prison. Of the eight total Doolittle Raiders taken prisoner by the Japanese, three were executed, one died in captivity and four were released at the end of the war. Nielsen was among the remaining four who survived and returned to the United States after the war, and he was the ONLY member of Crew 6 to survive the war. Following the war, just three months after his release, he returned to Shanghai, China, in January of 1946, he was able to testify and provide evidence at the International War Crimes Trials against his former captors. He remained in the Service, and he rose through the ranks in the Air Force, helping to build up the Strategic Air Command. He retired in 1961 as a lieutenant colonel. His Decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Prisoner of War Medal, and an Air Force Commendation with Oak Leaf Cluster. The Republic of China also decorated him with the Breast Order of Pao Ting, which was pinned to his uniform by Madame Chiang Kai-Shek. He was inducted into the Utah Aviation Hall of Fame on May 30, 2002.
World War II United States Army Officer. He was the navigator for "Crew 6" in the Raid over Tokyo, Japan on April 18, 1942. Crew 6 had the highest casualty rate of the raid. The two enlisted men drowned after the pilot was forced to ditch the plane off the China coast after running out of fuel. The three remaining officers, including Nielsen, were taken as POWs. He spent 40 months in the Japanese prison. Of the eight total Doolittle Raiders taken prisoner by the Japanese, three were executed, one died in captivity and four were released at the end of the war. Nielsen was among the remaining four who survived and returned to the United States after the war, and he was the ONLY member of Crew 6 to survive the war. Following the war, just three months after his release, he returned to Shanghai, China, in January of 1946, he was able to testify and provide evidence at the International War Crimes Trials against his former captors. He remained in the Service, and he rose through the ranks in the Air Force, helping to build up the Strategic Air Command. He retired in 1961 as a lieutenant colonel. His Decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Purple Heart with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Prisoner of War Medal, and an Air Force Commendation with Oak Leaf Cluster. The Republic of China also decorated him with the Breast Order of Pao Ting, which was pinned to his uniform by Madame Chiang Kai-Shek. He was inducted into the Utah Aviation Hall of Fame on May 30, 2002.
Bio by: SBT
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