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name
FORD, Charles West Jr - Date of
birth
19 October 1917 -
Age
27 - Place of
birth
Tennessee -
Hometown
Madison, Davidson County, Tennessee
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
O-792391 -
Rank
First Lieutenant -
Function
Pilot -
Unit
401st Fighter Squadron,
370th Fighter Group
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
24 December 1944 - Place of
death
Bra, Belgium
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Henri-Chapelle
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| B | 9 | 21 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Charles W. Ford (father)
Julia S. Ford (mother)
Emily Ford (sister)
Joseph S. Ford (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-67948 -
Data
Type: P-38J
Destination: Area of St. Vith, Belgium
Mission: Armed Reconnaissance
MACR: 11408
More information
Charles W. Ford Jr. graduated from Isaac Litton High School and was a clerk.He joined the Air Corps of the National Guard in Nashville, Tennessee on 16 September 1940. He first served with the 105th Observation Squadron in Nashville as an aerial photographer and later received his wings at Napier Field, Alabama, and was sent overseas in October 1944.
Statement of 1st Lt E.K. Barrett, who flew in the same mission: "I was flying Red Three and Lt Ford was my wingman. After the last strafing run, from southeast to northwest, I pulled past target, looked back to my right and saw him in a steep climbing turn to his right about 500 feet altitude. There were flames coming from the lower right forward boom. I called him to tell him his right engine was afire. That's the last I saw of him. It was 1615 hours, 24 December 1944 over Bra, Belgium".
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, Carla Mans, WWIIMemorial, NARA, www.newspapers.com - The Tennessean, www.ancestry.com - WWII Enlistment Record
Photo source: www.findagrave.com, www.newspapers.com - The Tennessean, www.findagrave.com - Elizabeth Gobler