Lester served as a First Lieutenant & Bombardier on B-24J #44-40611, 371st Bomber Squadron, 307th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Berkshire County, Massachusetts prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on April 14, 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as an Accountant and/or auditor and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #44-40611 took off, with a crew of 11 and other B-24's, from Mokerang Airfield, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea on a bombing mission over Yap Island, Federated States of Micronesia.
They were believed to have been shot down by ground anti-aircraft fire and they crashed into the sea off Yap Island. The entire crew was lost on this mission.
Lester was declared "Missing In Action" on this mission during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster.
Service # O-751880
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40611:
Bilder, Marcel J ~ 1st Lt, Navigator, MN
Brown, Lester P, Jr ~ 1st Lt, Bombardier, MA
Griggs, Tommy W ~ T/Sgt, Photographer, TX
Manfredi, Sam M ~ S/Sgt, Tail Gunner, IL
Painter, Earle W ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, VA
Reed, Donald E ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, WV
Rice, Edward J ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, IA
Silko, Thomas B ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, PA
Smith, Kenneth D ~ 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, NM
Stein, Sol ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, NY
Tampio, Benjamin T ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, MI
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Berkshire County, Massachusetts prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on April 14, 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as an Accountant and/or auditor and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #44-40611 took off, with a crew of 11 and other B-24's, from Mokerang Airfield, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea on a bombing mission over Yap Island, Federated States of Micronesia.
They were believed to have been shot down by ground anti-aircraft fire and they crashed into the sea off Yap Island. The entire crew was lost on this mission.
Lester was declared "Missing In Action" on this mission during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster.
Service # O-751880
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40611:
Bilder, Marcel J ~ 1st Lt, Navigator, MN
Brown, Lester P, Jr ~ 1st Lt, Bombardier, MA
Griggs, Tommy W ~ T/Sgt, Photographer, TX
Manfredi, Sam M ~ S/Sgt, Tail Gunner, IL
Painter, Earle W ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, VA
Reed, Donald E ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, WV
Rice, Edward J ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, IA
Silko, Thomas B ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, PA
Smith, Kenneth D ~ 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, NM
Stein, Sol ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, NY
Tampio, Benjamin T ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, MI
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lester served as a First Lieutenant & Bombardier on B-24J #44-40611, 371st Bomber Squadron, 307th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Berkshire County, Massachusetts prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on April 14, 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as an Accountant and/or auditor and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #44-40611 took off, with a crew of 11 and other B-24's, from Mokerang Airfield, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea on a bombing mission over Yap Island, Federated States of Micronesia.
They were believed to have been shot down by ground anti-aircraft fire and they crashed into the sea off Yap Island. The entire crew was lost on this mission.
Lester was declared "Missing In Action" on this mission during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster.
Service # O-751880
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40611:
Bilder, Marcel J ~ 1st Lt, Navigator, MN
Brown, Lester P, Jr ~ 1st Lt, Bombardier, MA
Griggs, Tommy W ~ T/Sgt, Photographer, TX
Manfredi, Sam M ~ S/Sgt, Tail Gunner, IL
Painter, Earle W ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, VA
Reed, Donald E ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, WV
Rice, Edward J ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, IA
Silko, Thomas B ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, PA
Smith, Kenneth D ~ 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, NM
Stein, Sol ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, NY
Tampio, Benjamin T ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, MI
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Berkshire County, Massachusetts prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on April 14, 1942 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as an Accountant and/or auditor and also as Single, without dependents.
B-24J #44-40611 took off, with a crew of 11 and other B-24's, from Mokerang Airfield, Manus Province, Papua New Guinea on a bombing mission over Yap Island, Federated States of Micronesia.
They were believed to have been shot down by ground anti-aircraft fire and they crashed into the sea off Yap Island. The entire crew was lost on this mission.
Lester was declared "Missing In Action" on this mission during the war.
He was awarded the Air Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart with 1 Oak Leaf Cluster.
Service # O-751880
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Airmen who perished on B-24J #44-40611:
Bilder, Marcel J ~ 1st Lt, Navigator, MN
Brown, Lester P, Jr ~ 1st Lt, Bombardier, MA
Griggs, Tommy W ~ T/Sgt, Photographer, TX
Manfredi, Sam M ~ S/Sgt, Tail Gunner, IL
Painter, Earle W ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, VA
Reed, Donald E ~ S/Sgt, Waist Gunner, WV
Rice, Edward J ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, IA
Silko, Thomas B ~ T/Sgt, Radio Operator, PA
Smith, Kenneth D ~ 1st Lt, Co-Pilot, NM
Stein, Sol ~ S/Sgt, Gunner, NY
Tampio, Benjamin T ~ T/Sgt, Engineer, MI
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
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