Howard, Alexander L.

Lieutenant Colonel Alexander H. Howard, Jr., graduated from Central Washington College of Education in June 1941. Howard was a school teacher in Hoquiam, Washington, before he enlisted in the United States (U.S.) Army Air Corps for service during World War II (WWII). He was assigned to a cadetship in meteorology at UCLA, and received his commission at the completion of the nine month course. As a qualified weather forecaster, was assigned to temporary duty with a long range forecasting research project at Cal Tech in Pasadena, California in October 1943. In April-May 1944, he attended overseas training at Kearn's Field, Utah. Howard was then assigned to the Weather Squadron, Detachment 55, 7th Air Force, and was shipped to the Marianas Islands. Howard was transferred to Detachment 54 with the 21st Bomb Command on Saipan with seven men from his weather squadron to fly weather strike missions. He flew a total of 16 missions on B-29 Super Fortresses from 13 December 1944 to 24 February 1945 with the 73rd Wing. The eight man team was relieved in late February 1945. Howard was next assigned to the 32nd Army Air Corps as commander of the weather station at General Lyman Field, at Hilo, Hawaii on 25 March 1945. On 8 August 1945 he was sent to Buckley Field near Denver, Colorado, for a special chemical warfare forecasting project to predict the spread of chemical agents in the first six feet of atmosphere. Howard was discharged from the U.S. Army Air Corps on 10 February 1946. He received the Air Medal and a Bronze Star for his participation in the weather strike missions.