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name
DE JEAN, Garrigues Albert - Date of
birth
29 March 1918 -
Age
25 - Place of
birth
Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana -
Hometown
Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-802535 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
563rd Bombardment Squadron,
388th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal with 2 Oak Leaf Clusters
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
4 February 1944 - Place of
death
Mondorf-Niederkassel, 3 miles north of Bonn, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Margraten
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| I | 9 | 18 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Benjamin H. De Jean (father)
Celia De Jean (mother)
Peggy L. De Jean (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-31781 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Nickname: Cock of the Walk
Destination: Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the railroad yards
MACR: 2350
More information
1st Lt Garrigues A. De Jean graduated from Southwestern Louisiana Institute in Lafayette, Louisiana, shortly before he began work as an advertising manager for the Daily World in 1941.He volunteered for the Air Corps of the Army of the United States on 1 April 1942. He finished his training at Alexandria Army Air Field.
The airplane received a direct hit from flak on the right wing just before bombs away, causing the right aileron and stabilizer to be blown off. The plane flipped on its back and went down with the right wing in flames and disappeared in the clouds at 16,000 feet.
Source of information: Peter Schouteten, Raf Dyckmans, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.archives.gov, www.ancestry.com - WWII Draft Card Young Men / 1920 Census, www.newspapers.com - The Daily World, IDPF
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, www.ancestry.com - South Western Louisiana Institute Yearbook 1941, www.newspapers.com - The Daily World