Delton Goerke, native of Burr, Otoe County, Nebraska, died March 23, 1999 in Medford, Oregon. He was the son of Victor & Sidona Butz Goerke of Burr. He was baptized and confirmed in the Burr United Methodist Church, and was a graduate of Burr High School.
Delton married Marcelle Redding of Syracuse, NE. He is survived by his wife, children, and a brother, Victor Gene Goerke of Scottsbluff, NE.
He served his country in the Air Force and received the Distinquished Flying Cross. Captain Delton Goerke had three combat tours to Guadacanal with 339th Pursuit Squadron and also saw action in the Solomon Islands. He flew P-39 and P-38 fighters and completed a total of 78 combat missions.
After his service career, he was a trouble shooter for United Air Lines. His family lived in California before moving to Oregon.
Goerke was selected to take part in the Yamamoto Mission. Yamamoto was the Commander in Chief for Tojo and The Imperial Japanese Fleet and the architect for the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The US cracked enemy radio codes and learned that Yamamoto was making a morale-building tour of the Solomon Islands. US Admiral Chester Nimitz had four days to devise a way to eliminate Yamamoto. Major John Mitchell led 16 P-38's which flew just 30FT above water with silent radios to avoid detection during the 420 miles flight. Right on schedule they sighted the coast of the Island of Bougainville and Japanese aircraft. Breaking radio silence a pilot exclaimed, "Bogeys! Eleven o'clock High."
Twelve planes elevatoed to 18,000Ft to divert attention while four remaining P-38's attacked the two bombers and three escorting zero fighters. The bomber carrying Yamamoto crashed into the jungle. Mitchell radioed back "mission complete." History has determined this event was one of the turning points in World War II.
In 1993, artist Robert Taylor painted a commemorating 50th Anniversary of the Yamamoto Mission April 18, 1943. This limitied edition depicts the low flight at the moment of sighting Japanese aircraft and shows Captain Delton Goerke's plane #32178 in the foreground. The prints were signed by Delton & eight other surviving pilots. One of the prints is on display at the Burr Community Building.
This article was taken from the Syracuse Journal Democrat Newspaper, Syracuse, Otoe, NE 04-08-1999 page 2.
Military Information: CAPT, US ARMY AIR CORPS
Delton married Marcelle Redding of Syracuse, NE. He is survived by his wife, children, and a brother, Victor Gene Goerke of Scottsbluff, NE.
He served his country in the Air Force and received the Distinquished Flying Cross. Captain Delton Goerke had three combat tours to Guadacanal with 339th Pursuit Squadron and also saw action in the Solomon Islands. He flew P-39 and P-38 fighters and completed a total of 78 combat missions.
After his service career, he was a trouble shooter for United Air Lines. His family lived in California before moving to Oregon.
Goerke was selected to take part in the Yamamoto Mission. Yamamoto was the Commander in Chief for Tojo and The Imperial Japanese Fleet and the architect for the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The US cracked enemy radio codes and learned that Yamamoto was making a morale-building tour of the Solomon Islands. US Admiral Chester Nimitz had four days to devise a way to eliminate Yamamoto. Major John Mitchell led 16 P-38's which flew just 30FT above water with silent radios to avoid detection during the 420 miles flight. Right on schedule they sighted the coast of the Island of Bougainville and Japanese aircraft. Breaking radio silence a pilot exclaimed, "Bogeys! Eleven o'clock High."
Twelve planes elevatoed to 18,000Ft to divert attention while four remaining P-38's attacked the two bombers and three escorting zero fighters. The bomber carrying Yamamoto crashed into the jungle. Mitchell radioed back "mission complete." History has determined this event was one of the turning points in World War II.
In 1993, artist Robert Taylor painted a commemorating 50th Anniversary of the Yamamoto Mission April 18, 1943. This limitied edition depicts the low flight at the moment of sighting Japanese aircraft and shows Captain Delton Goerke's plane #32178 in the foreground. The prints were signed by Delton & eight other surviving pilots. One of the prints is on display at the Burr Community Building.
This article was taken from the Syracuse Journal Democrat Newspaper, Syracuse, Otoe, NE 04-08-1999 page 2.
Military Information: CAPT, US ARMY AIR CORPS
Delton Goerke, native of Burr, Otoe County, Nebraska, died March 23, 1999 in Medford, Oregon. He was the son of Victor & Sidona Butz Goerke of Burr. He was baptized and confirmed in the Burr United Methodist Church, and was a graduate of Burr High School.
Delton married Marcelle Redding of Syracuse, NE. He is survived by his wife, children, and a brother, Victor Gene Goerke of Scottsbluff, NE.
He served his country in the Air Force and received the Distinquished Flying Cross. Captain Delton Goerke had three combat tours to Guadacanal with 339th Pursuit Squadron and also saw action in the Solomon Islands. He flew P-39 and P-38 fighters and completed a total of 78 combat missions.
After his service career, he was a trouble shooter for United Air Lines. His family lived in California before moving to Oregon.
Goerke was selected to take part in the Yamamoto Mission. Yamamoto was the Commander in Chief for Tojo and The Imperial Japanese Fleet and the architect for the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The US cracked enemy radio codes and learned that Yamamoto was making a morale-building tour of the Solomon Islands. US Admiral Chester Nimitz had four days to devise a way to eliminate Yamamoto. Major John Mitchell led 16 P-38's which flew just 30FT above water with silent radios to avoid detection during the 420 miles flight. Right on schedule they sighted the coast of the Island of Bougainville and Japanese aircraft. Breaking radio silence a pilot exclaimed, "Bogeys! Eleven o'clock High."
Twelve planes elevatoed to 18,000Ft to divert attention while four remaining P-38's attacked the two bombers and three escorting zero fighters. The bomber carrying Yamamoto crashed into the jungle. Mitchell radioed back "mission complete." History has determined this event was one of the turning points in World War II.
In 1993, artist Robert Taylor painted a commemorating 50th Anniversary of the Yamamoto Mission April 18, 1943. This limitied edition depicts the low flight at the moment of sighting Japanese aircraft and shows Captain Delton Goerke's plane #32178 in the foreground. The prints were signed by Delton & eight other surviving pilots. One of the prints is on display at the Burr Community Building.
This article was taken from the Syracuse Journal Democrat Newspaper, Syracuse, Otoe, NE 04-08-1999 page 2.
Military Information: CAPT, US ARMY AIR CORPS
Delton married Marcelle Redding of Syracuse, NE. He is survived by his wife, children, and a brother, Victor Gene Goerke of Scottsbluff, NE.
He served his country in the Air Force and received the Distinquished Flying Cross. Captain Delton Goerke had three combat tours to Guadacanal with 339th Pursuit Squadron and also saw action in the Solomon Islands. He flew P-39 and P-38 fighters and completed a total of 78 combat missions.
After his service career, he was a trouble shooter for United Air Lines. His family lived in California before moving to Oregon.
Goerke was selected to take part in the Yamamoto Mission. Yamamoto was the Commander in Chief for Tojo and The Imperial Japanese Fleet and the architect for the bombing of Pearl Harbor.
The US cracked enemy radio codes and learned that Yamamoto was making a morale-building tour of the Solomon Islands. US Admiral Chester Nimitz had four days to devise a way to eliminate Yamamoto. Major John Mitchell led 16 P-38's which flew just 30FT above water with silent radios to avoid detection during the 420 miles flight. Right on schedule they sighted the coast of the Island of Bougainville and Japanese aircraft. Breaking radio silence a pilot exclaimed, "Bogeys! Eleven o'clock High."
Twelve planes elevatoed to 18,000Ft to divert attention while four remaining P-38's attacked the two bombers and three escorting zero fighters. The bomber carrying Yamamoto crashed into the jungle. Mitchell radioed back "mission complete." History has determined this event was one of the turning points in World War II.
In 1993, artist Robert Taylor painted a commemorating 50th Anniversary of the Yamamoto Mission April 18, 1943. This limitied edition depicts the low flight at the moment of sighting Japanese aircraft and shows Captain Delton Goerke's plane #32178 in the foreground. The prints were signed by Delton & eight other surviving pilots. One of the prints is on display at the Burr Community Building.
This article was taken from the Syracuse Journal Democrat Newspaper, Syracuse, Otoe, NE 04-08-1999 page 2.
Military Information: CAPT, US ARMY AIR CORPS
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