Harry was born and raised in El Dorado, graduating from El Dorado High School and El Dorado Junior College. He joined the Army Air Forces prior to the outbreak of WW II and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt after completing training as an aviation cadet.
His military career started with his first active duty assignment to the 31st Pursuit Group flying P-39 fighters located at Selfridge Field Michigan. He married Mabel (Micky) Williams, also a native of El Dorado, while stationed in Michigan.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor his unit was moved to the West Coast then to the East Coast and was finally deployed as the 31st Fighter Group to England where the 31st was the first U.S. unit to participate in action against the Axis over Europe. The 31st was equipped with British Spitfire aircraft, which Harry considered the best airplane he ever flew.
He was transferred out of the 31st to a newly formed P-39 unit while in England and the unit was deployed to North Africa. While enroute to North Africa his flight encountered weather and ran low on gas and diverted to Lisbon, Portugal. He was held as a prisoner in Portugal for about 3 months before being released and rejoining the 31st Fighter Group in North Africa.
He flew extensively in North Africa, Silicy, and over Italy, scoring two victories over German aircraft. He returned to the U.S. in February of 1944 and became an instructor pilot for the P-47 fighter. He was discharged from active duty at the end of the war, and returned to El Dorado where he started his own flying school at the El Dorado Airport.
His flying school was not a success and he went to work for the Skelly Oil Company, working in the El Dorado refinery, the Longview, Texas refinery and the home office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He took early retirement when Skelly was purchased, and sold real estate in the Tulsa area for several years.
In the mid 80's he moved to Shreveport, Louisiana where he was employed by the Crystal Oil Company, and then to the Houston, Texas area when Crystal was purchased by Damson Oil Company. He then returned to El Dorado where he lived in the family home until his death from lung cancer in 2000.
His military career started with his first active duty assignment to the 31st Pursuit Group flying P-39 fighters located at Selfridge Field Michigan. He married Mabel (Micky) Williams, also a native of El Dorado, while stationed in Michigan.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor his unit was moved to the West Coast then to the East Coast and was finally deployed as the 31st Fighter Group to England where the 31st was the first U.S. unit to participate in action against the Axis over Europe. The 31st was equipped with British Spitfire aircraft, which Harry considered the best airplane he ever flew.
He was transferred out of the 31st to a newly formed P-39 unit while in England and the unit was deployed to North Africa. While enroute to North Africa his flight encountered weather and ran low on gas and diverted to Lisbon, Portugal. He was held as a prisoner in Portugal for about 3 months before being released and rejoining the 31st Fighter Group in North Africa.
He flew extensively in North Africa, Silicy, and over Italy, scoring two victories over German aircraft. He returned to the U.S. in February of 1944 and became an instructor pilot for the P-47 fighter. He was discharged from active duty at the end of the war, and returned to El Dorado where he started his own flying school at the El Dorado Airport.
His flying school was not a success and he went to work for the Skelly Oil Company, working in the El Dorado refinery, the Longview, Texas refinery and the home office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He took early retirement when Skelly was purchased, and sold real estate in the Tulsa area for several years.
In the mid 80's he moved to Shreveport, Louisiana where he was employed by the Crystal Oil Company, and then to the Houston, Texas area when Crystal was purchased by Damson Oil Company. He then returned to El Dorado where he lived in the family home until his death from lung cancer in 2000.
Harry was born and raised in El Dorado, graduating from El Dorado High School and El Dorado Junior College. He joined the Army Air Forces prior to the outbreak of WW II and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt after completing training as an aviation cadet.
His military career started with his first active duty assignment to the 31st Pursuit Group flying P-39 fighters located at Selfridge Field Michigan. He married Mabel (Micky) Williams, also a native of El Dorado, while stationed in Michigan.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor his unit was moved to the West Coast then to the East Coast and was finally deployed as the 31st Fighter Group to England where the 31st was the first U.S. unit to participate in action against the Axis over Europe. The 31st was equipped with British Spitfire aircraft, which Harry considered the best airplane he ever flew.
He was transferred out of the 31st to a newly formed P-39 unit while in England and the unit was deployed to North Africa. While enroute to North Africa his flight encountered weather and ran low on gas and diverted to Lisbon, Portugal. He was held as a prisoner in Portugal for about 3 months before being released and rejoining the 31st Fighter Group in North Africa.
He flew extensively in North Africa, Silicy, and over Italy, scoring two victories over German aircraft. He returned to the U.S. in February of 1944 and became an instructor pilot for the P-47 fighter. He was discharged from active duty at the end of the war, and returned to El Dorado where he started his own flying school at the El Dorado Airport.
His flying school was not a success and he went to work for the Skelly Oil Company, working in the El Dorado refinery, the Longview, Texas refinery and the home office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He took early retirement when Skelly was purchased, and sold real estate in the Tulsa area for several years.
In the mid 80's he moved to Shreveport, Louisiana where he was employed by the Crystal Oil Company, and then to the Houston, Texas area when Crystal was purchased by Damson Oil Company. He then returned to El Dorado where he lived in the family home until his death from lung cancer in 2000.
His military career started with his first active duty assignment to the 31st Pursuit Group flying P-39 fighters located at Selfridge Field Michigan. He married Mabel (Micky) Williams, also a native of El Dorado, while stationed in Michigan.
After the attack on Pearl Harbor his unit was moved to the West Coast then to the East Coast and was finally deployed as the 31st Fighter Group to England where the 31st was the first U.S. unit to participate in action against the Axis over Europe. The 31st was equipped with British Spitfire aircraft, which Harry considered the best airplane he ever flew.
He was transferred out of the 31st to a newly formed P-39 unit while in England and the unit was deployed to North Africa. While enroute to North Africa his flight encountered weather and ran low on gas and diverted to Lisbon, Portugal. He was held as a prisoner in Portugal for about 3 months before being released and rejoining the 31st Fighter Group in North Africa.
He flew extensively in North Africa, Silicy, and over Italy, scoring two victories over German aircraft. He returned to the U.S. in February of 1944 and became an instructor pilot for the P-47 fighter. He was discharged from active duty at the end of the war, and returned to El Dorado where he started his own flying school at the El Dorado Airport.
His flying school was not a success and he went to work for the Skelly Oil Company, working in the El Dorado refinery, the Longview, Texas refinery and the home office in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He took early retirement when Skelly was purchased, and sold real estate in the Tulsa area for several years.
In the mid 80's he moved to Shreveport, Louisiana where he was employed by the Crystal Oil Company, and then to the Houston, Texas area when Crystal was purchased by Damson Oil Company. He then returned to El Dorado where he lived in the family home until his death from lung cancer in 2000.
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