John T. McHale, Jr., was born in Washington, D.C., on June 27, 1917, the son of John T. and Ellen B. McHale. He had three siblings: Richard, Mary, and Robert. In April 1943, he married Betty Jane Henery (March 18, 1922-August 30, 2008), the daughter of Ralph W. and Goldie Henery of Zanesville, Ohio. She had three siblings: Anne May, Helen Louise, and Jack. Before their marriage, Henery was a member of a musical group based in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and she lived in several states during the remainder of the war. McHale served with the United States Army Air Forces at Santa Ana Army Air Base (Santa Ana, California); Thunderbird Field (Glendale, Arizona); Pecos Army Air Base (Pecos, Texas); Fort Sumner, New Mexico; and Baer Field (Fort Wayne, Indiana). He was a pilot for the 7th Combat Cargo Squadron in the Pacific Theater in 1945 and returned to the United States around November 1945. John T. and Betty Henery McHale had one son, John T. McHale III (b. March 10, 1945), and lived in Washington, D.C.; Arlington, Virginia; and Sarasota, Florida. John T. McHale, Jr., died on March 13, 2001.
From the guide to the John T. and Betty McHale correspondence, McHale, John T. and Betty correspondence, 1943-1952, 1943-1945, (William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan)
