H. Douglas Chism Jr. of Memphis, a decorated World War II bombardier whose deadly accuracy from the air won him the respect of his comrades, died of heart failure Sunday at Baptist Memorial Hospital East. He was 79. Graveside services for Mr. Chism, a retired chief underwriter for the Department of Housing and Urban Developement, will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at St. John's Cemetery. Canale Funeral Directors has charge. "He had quite a record for hitting exactly what he aimed for," said his second wife, Josephine McKinnon Chism. In 1943, The Commercial Appeal wrote about Mr. Chism's daring bombing raids and the medals that followed: "Lt. Henry Douglas 'Doug' Chism Jr., whose flight group made the first bombing raid on Tripoli, counted more than 70 flack holes in his Liberator B-24 Bomber after one devastating raid...He received the Air Medal after 100 hours of combat flying time and the Distinguished Flying Cross for 200 hours of combat." He won the Silver Star for bravery in a raid on Navarino Bay in Greece, when Mr. Chism and his squadron defied anti-aircraft fire and pursuit planes to destroy a tanker and four of the five German planes that followed them. He remained active in the Air Force Reserve and retired as a lieutenant general. He was a communicant at the Church of the Holy Communion. In addition to his wife, he leaves a son, H.Douglas Chism III of Baltimore, a stepdaughter, Kathleen Graham Ward of Memphis, and 3 grandsons. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, any memorials be sent to a charity of the donor's choice. (Published in The Commercial Appeal 5/20/1997)
H. Douglas Chism Jr. of Memphis, a decorated World War II bombardier whose deadly accuracy from the air won him the respect of his comrades, died of heart failure Sunday at Baptist Memorial Hospital East. He was 79. Graveside services for Mr. Chism, a retired chief underwriter for the Department of Housing and Urban Developement, will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday at St. John's Cemetery. Canale Funeral Directors has charge. "He had quite a record for hitting exactly what he aimed for," said his second wife, Josephine McKinnon Chism. In 1943, The Commercial Appeal wrote about Mr. Chism's daring bombing raids and the medals that followed: "Lt. Henry Douglas 'Doug' Chism Jr., whose flight group made the first bombing raid on Tripoli, counted more than 70 flack holes in his Liberator B-24 Bomber after one devastating raid...He received the Air Medal after 100 hours of combat flying time and the Distinguished Flying Cross for 200 hours of combat." He won the Silver Star for bravery in a raid on Navarino Bay in Greece, when Mr. Chism and his squadron defied anti-aircraft fire and pursuit planes to destroy a tanker and four of the five German planes that followed them. He remained active in the Air Force Reserve and retired as a lieutenant general. He was a communicant at the Church of the Holy Communion. In addition to his wife, he leaves a son, H.Douglas Chism III of Baltimore, a stepdaughter, Kathleen Graham Ward of Memphis, and 3 grandsons. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, any memorials be sent to a charity of the donor's choice. (Published in The Commercial Appeal 5/20/1997)
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