Official Military Personnel Files for Persons of Exceptional Prominence (PEP) list via the National Archives website, viewed November 2, 2021
Related Entities
There are 65 Entities related to this resource.
Belafonte, Harry, 1927-2023
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6q63gmd (person)
Born to immigrant parents in Harlem on March 1, 1927, Harry Belafonte spent much of his youth in his mother's home country of Jamaica. Though difficult, life in Jamaica was full of rich cultural experiences that influenced Belafonte's art. At the beginning of World War II, Belafonte returned to Harlem with his mother and brother. He had trouble integrating into the new environment and later dropped out of high school to join the U.S. Navy. After Belafonte was honorably discharged, he went bac...
Bergdoll, Grover Cleveland, 1893-1966
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w62r7vkn (person)
Grover Cleveland Bergdoll (October 18, 1893 – January 27, 1966) was an early aviator, racing driver and World War I draft dodger, who went to Germany to avoid prison. Bergdoll was born in Philadelphia to a wealthy brewing family. He was one of 119 people to train at the Wright Flying School, and in 1912 he purchased a Wright Model B biplane for $5,000. Bergdoll made several public flights from an airfield on family-owned land outside Philadelphia, and was the first person to fly an airplane b...
Zamperini, Louis, 1917-2014
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6t54jvb (person)
Louis Silvie Zamperini (January 26, 1917 – July 2, 2014) was an American World War II veteran and an Olympic distance runner. He took up running in high school and qualified for the United States in the 5,000 m race for the 1936 Berlin Olympics, finishing 8th while setting a new lap record in the process. In 1941, he was commissioned into the United States Army Air Forces as a lieutenant. He served as a bombardier in B-24 Liberators in the Pacific. On a search and rescue mission, Zamperini's ...
Zeamer, Jay, Jr., 1918-2007
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6tr6sfg (person)
Jay Zeamer Jr. (July 25, 1918 – March 22, 2007) was a pilot of the United States Army Air Forces in the South Pacific during World War II, and received the Medal of Honor for valor during an air mission on June 16, 1943. After the war, he became an aeronautical engineer and worked in the aerospace industry. Zeamer's Medal of Honor citation reads: On 16 June 1943, Maj. Zeamer (then Capt.) volunteered as pilot of a bomber on an important photographic mapping mission covering the formidably def...
Wiley, James T. (James Thomas), 1918-2000
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6z140zx (person)
James Thomas Wiley (August 7, 1918 – May 3, 2000) was a U.S. Army Air Forces/U.S. Air Force officer and combat fighter pilot of the 332nd Fighter Group's 99th Pursuit Squadron, best known as the Tuskegee Airmen or "Red Tails". Though born in Indiana, Wiley was raised in the Hill District of western Pennsylvania. He attended high school in the Pittsburgh Public School system. After high school, he attended the University of Pittsburgh on scholarship, majoring in Physics and graduating in 1940....
Whitney, C. V. (Cornelius Vanderbilt), 1899-1992
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w65n6xpb (person)
Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney (February 20, 1899 – December 13, 1992), commonly known as C. V. Whitney or Sonny to friends, was an American businessman, film producer, government official, writer and philanthropist. He was also a polo player and the owner of a significant stable of Thoroughbred racehorses. Whitney was scion of two of America’s most prominent families. He was a descendant of Eli Whitney, inventor of the cotton gin. His mother was Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, a sculptor who ...
White, Edward Higgins, II, 1930-1967
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6sv8ctx (person)
Edward Higgins White II (November 14, 1930 – January 27, 1967) was an American aeronautical engineer, United States Air Force officer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. He was a member of the crews of Gemini 4 and Apollo 1. After graduating from West Point in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science degree, White was sent to flight training, and assigned to the 22nd Fighter Day Squadron at Bitburg Air Base, West Germany, where he flew the F-86 Sabre and F-100 Super Sabre fighters. In 1958, he enrolled i...
Wetmore, Ray S. (Raymond Shuey), 1923-1951
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6tc1zwp (person)
Raymond Shuey "X-Ray Eyes" Wetmore (September 30, 1923 – February 14, 1951) was a quadruple ace of United States Army Air Forces over Europe during World War II. Ray Wetmore enlisted aged 18 in 1941, he was commissioned in March 1943 and joined the 359th Fighter Group. He became top aerial combat Ace of the 359th Fighter Group, scoring 21 victories, his final kill was an ME 163 jet. During the Battle of the Bulge, December 1944- January 1945, Wetmore was hit by friendly fire and his aircraft ...
Watson, George, 1914-1943
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6kt7hf2 (person)
George Watson (March 24, 1914 – March 8, 1943) was a United States Army private who gave his life rescuing several soldiers from drowning at sea during World War II. In 1997, he was awarded the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military decoration for valor, for his actions on March 8, 1943, near Porlock Harbor, New Guinea. Watson and six other Black Americans who served in World War II, were awarded the Medal of Honor on January 12, 1997. The Medal of Honor was posthumously presented to W...
Voll, John James, 1922-1987
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6p37pzj (person)
John James Voll (May 3, 1922 – September 12, 1987) was a career officer in the United States Air Force and a World War II flying ace. Voll was credited with destroying 21 enemy aircraft in aerial combat between June and November 1944. Flying a P-51D named "American Beauty," his final victories occurred during a spectacular, individual effort. While leading an escort mission to Munich on November 16, 1944, Captain Voll experienced electrical problems and left the formation. As he returned alon...
Van Dyke, Dick, 1925-
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6c35n8m (person)
Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925), more commonly known as Dick Van Dyke, is an American actor, comedian, writer, singer, and dancer, whose award-winning career has spanned seven decades in film, television and the theatre. Van Dyke began his career as an entertainer on radio and television, in nightclubs, and on the Broadway stage. In 1961 he starred in the original production of Bye Bye Birdie alongside Chita Rivera, a role which earned him the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Mu...
Whittle, Reba Z. (Reba Zitella), 1919-1981
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w69q3sgs (person)
First Lieutenant Reba Zitella Whittle Tobiason (August 19, 1919 – January 26, 1981) was a member of the United States Army Nurse Corps during World War II. She became the only American military female prisoner of war in the European Theater after her casualty evacuation aircraft was shot down in September 1944. Whittle was born in Rocksprings, Edwards County, Texas, and studied at North Texas State College, before attending the Medical and Surgical Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in San A...
Borgnine, Ernest, 1917-2012
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6q9256z (person)
Ernest Borgnine (born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular performer, he also appeared as a guest on numerous talk shows and as a panelist on several game shows. Borgnine's film career began in 1951, and included supporting roles in China Corsair (1951), From Here to Eternity (1953), Vera Cruz (1954), Bad Day at Black Rock (1...
Thompson, Hank, 1925-1969
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w61g3fqw (person)
Henry Curtis Thompson (December 8, 1925 – September 30, 1969), more commonly known as Hank Thompson, was an American player in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball who played primarily as a third baseman. A left-handed batter, he played with the Dallas Green Monarchs (1941), Kansas City Monarchs (1943, 1946–47, 1948), St. Louis Browns (1947) and New York Giants (1949–56). He was the first acknowledged black player to play for the Giants. He was also the first acknowledged black player t...
Rickles, Don, 1926-2017
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w60q3rr5 (person)
Donald Jay Rickles (May 8, 1926 – April 6, 2017), nicknamed the Merchant of Venom and Mr. Warmth, was an American stand-up comedian and actor. He became known especially for his insult comedy. His film roles include Run Silent, Run Deep (1958) with Clark Gable, Carl Reiner's Enter Laughing (1967), the Clint Eastwood-led Kelly's Heroes (1970), and Martin Scorsese's Casino (1995) with Robert De Niro. From 1976 to 1978, Rickles had a two-season starring role in the NBC television sitcom C.P.O. Shar...
Rector, Edward F. (Edward Franklin), 1916-2001
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6fz81g7 (person)
Edward Franklin Rector (September 28, 1916 – April 26, 2001) was a colonel in the United States Air Force, a fighter ace of World War II, and a member of the Flying Tigers. Rector, a native of Marshall, North Carolina, graduated from Catawba College in 1938 and began his military career as a naval aviator. He was a carrier pilot on the USS Ranger, based in Norfolk, when he was recruited for the American Volunteer Group, the official name of the Flying Tigers. The unit was formed with the fin...
Partridge, Earle E. (Earle Everard), 1900-1990
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6417rdj (person)
Earle Everard "Pat" Partridge (July 7, 1900 – September 7, 1990) was a four-star general in the United States Air Force and a Command Pilot. Partridge enlisted in the United States Army in July 1918 at Fort Slocum, New York, and was assigned to the 5th Engineer Training Regiment. He went to France in August 1918 to join the 79th Division, participating in the Battle of Saint-Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne Offensive. Partridge graduated from the United States Military Academy in the Class of 1924...
Walsh, Loretta Perfectus, 1896-1925
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w67q15wb (person)
Loretta Perfectus Walsh Bowman (April 22, 1896 – August 17, 1925), sometimes signed and written as "Loretto", became the first American active-duty Navy woman, the first woman to enlist in the U.S. Navy, and the first woman allowed to serve as a woman in any of the United States armed forces, as anything other than as a nurse, when she enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve on March 17, 1917. Walsh subsequently became the first woman U.S. Navy petty officer when she was sworn in as Chief Yeoman on M...
Brooks, Mel, 1926-
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w68x43f6 (person)
Mel Brooks (born Melvin James Kaminsky; June 28, 1926) is an American actor, comedian, filmmaker and composer. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is known as a creator of broad farces and parodies widely considered to be among the best film comedies ever made. He began his career as a comic and a writer for Sid Caesar's variety show Your Show of Shows (1950–1954) alongside Woody Allen, Neil Simon and Larry Gelbart. With Carl Reiner, he created the comic character The 2000 Year Old Man...
Bruce, Lenny, 1925-1966
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6qp6zv9 (person)
Leonard Alfred Schneider (October 13, 1925 – August 3, 1966), known professionally as Lenny Bruce, was an American stand-up comedian, social critic, and satirist. He was renowned for his open, freestyle and critical form of comedy which contained satire, politics, religion, sex, and vulgarity. His 1964 conviction in an obscenity trial was followed by a posthumous pardon, the first in the history of New York State, by Governor George Pataki in 2003. Bruce paved the way for counterculture era c...
Bronson, Charles, 1921-2003
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6sz75kz (person)
Charles Bronson (born Charles Dennis Buchinsky; November 3, 1921 – August 30, 2003) was an American actor who was often cast in roles of police officers, gunfighters, or vigilantes in revenge-oriented plot lines. He had long-term collaborations with film directors Michael Winner and J. Lee Thompson and appeared in 15 films with his second wife, Jill Ireland. At the height of his fame in the early 1970s, he was the world's No. 1 box office attraction, commanding $1 million per film. Bronson w...
Jacobs, Fenno, 1904-1975
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6d09b77 (person)
Charles Fenno Jacobs (December 14, 1904 – June 27, 1975) was an American photographer in the mid-20th century. Shortly after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, famed photographer Edward Steichen recruited Charles Fenno Jacobs (1904-1975) to join his Naval Aviation Photographic Unit. The U.S. Navy had established this special group to document and publicize its aviation activities and allowed Steichen to recruit the most talented photographers he could find. By 1941 Jacobs had already establ...
Rickey, Branch, 1881-1965
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6gk09cp (person)
Wesley Branch Rickey (December 20, 1881 – December 9, 1965) was an American baseball player and sports executive. Rickey was instrumental in breaking Major League Baseball's color barrier by signing black player Jackie Robinson. He also created the framework for the modern minor league farm system, encouraged the Major Leagues to add new teams through his involvement in the proposed Continental League, and introduced the batting helmet. He was posthumously elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in...
Aaron, Harold Robert, 1921-1980
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6xf1t2w (person)
Harold Robert Aaron (June 21, 1921 – April 30, 1980) was a lieutenant general in the United States Army. Originally from Kokomo, Indiana, Harold Robert Aaron graduated from United States Military Academy at West Point in 1943 and served in Europe during World War II. As a colonel, Aaron served as Commander, 5th Special Forces Group (Airborne) in Vietnam from June 4, 1968, to May 8, 1969. From November 5, 1973, to August 28, 1977, he served as the Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligenc...
Algren, Nelson, 1909-1981
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6kp81vn (person)
Nelson Algren, original name Nelson Ahlgren Abraham was born on March 28, 1909 in Detroit, Michigan and died May 9, 1981 in Sag Harbor, New York. Algren's writings focused on the poor, inspired by routine naturalism and its vision of pride, humour, and unquenchable yearnings. He captured the poetic essences of the city's underside: its jukebox pounding, distinguishable stench, and neon glare. Algren was raised in Chicago and later studied at the University of Illinois, where he graduated wit...
Adams, Brock, 1927-2004
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63n4nz7 (person)
Brockman "Brock" Adams (January 13, 1927 – September 10, 2004) was born in Atlanta, Georgia. He graduated from the University of Washington at Seattle, in 1949, and received a law degree from Harvard Law School, in 1952. Adams served in the U.S. Navy from 1944 to 1946, and was admitted to the Washington state bar in 1952, opening a private practice in Seattle, Washington. He taught law at the American Institute of Banking from 1954 to 1960, and served as United States Attorney for the Western...
Adams, Lucian, 1922-2003
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6z71ffh (person)
Lucian Adams (October 26, 1922 – March 31, 2003) was a United States Army soldier during World War II who received the Medal of Honor for single-handedly destroying enemy machine gun emplacements to re-establish supply lines to U.S. Army companies. He also received the Bronze Star and Purple Heart for his heroic actions in Italy. Adams's Medal of Honor citation reads: For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty on 28 October 1944, near St. D...
Adams, Michael James, 1930-1967
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6k17wnc (person)
Michael James "Mike" Adams (May 5, 1930 – November 15, 1967) (Maj USAF) was an American aviator, aeronautical engineer, and USAF astronaut. He was one of twelve pilots who flew the North American X-15, an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the Air Force and NASA. Adams enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1950 after graduation from Sacramento Junior College and earned his pilot wings and commission in 1952 at Webb AFB, Texas. Adams served as a fighter-bomber pilot during the Korean conf...
Blatnik, John Anton, 1911-1991
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6f874x1 (person)
John Anton Blatnik (August 17, 1911 – December 17, 1991) was a United States Congressman from Minnesota. He was a member of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), which is affiliated with the Democratic Party. Blatnik graduated from Winona State College in 1935 after which he became an educational advisor for the Superior National Forest Civilian Conservation Corps (1935-1937), taught chemistry at Chisholm High School (1937-1939), and served as Saint Louis County Assistant Superin...
Blount, Winton M. (Winton Malcolm), 1921-2002
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6rr5kdj (person)
Winton Malcolm Blount Jr., known as Red Blount (February 1, 1921 – October 24, 2002), was the United States Postmaster General from January 22, 1969, to January 1, 1972. He was the last Postmaster General when the position was within the presidential Cabinet, overseeing the service turn from a government department to a private corporation. Educated in the Union Springs public schools, Blount later attended Staunton Military Academy, Staunton, Virginia, and the University of Alabama, 1939-194...
Blizzard, William A., 1927-1952
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6z42r33 (person)
Staff Sergeant William A. Blizzard was a crew member on a RB-29A with the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, U.S. Air Force. On June 13, 1952, the aircraft departed Yokato Air Base, Honshu, Japan on an electronic surveillance mission. It was shot down by 2 Russian MiG-15's over the Sea of Japan south of Mys Ostrovnoy, north of Hokkaido and 120 miles from the Russian coast. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on November 15, 1955. For his leadership and valor, Staff S...
Bonura, Leon Frank, 1932-1952
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w69d7pvw (person)
Staff Sergeant Leon F. Bonura (August 17, 1932-June 13, 1952) was a crew member on a RB-29A with the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, U.S. Air Force. On June 13, 1952, the aircraft departed Yokato Air Base, Honshu, Japan on an electronic surveillance mission. It was shot down by 2 Russian MiG-15's over the Sea of Japan south of Mys Ostrovnoy, north of Hokkaido and 120 miles from the Russian coast. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on November 15, 1955. For his le...
Cabell, Charles P. (Charles Pearre), 1903-1971
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6639xvh (person)
Charles Pearre Cabell (b. October 11, 1903, Dallas – d. May 25, 1971) was a United States Air Force general and Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (1953–1962). He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy in 1925 and, after completing flying training, entered the Air Corps in 1931. Highlights of Cabell's military career include: service in the Panama Canal Zone with observation and pursuit squadrons; further training at the Air Corps Tactical School and Command and General Staff ...
Blocker, Dan, 1928-1972
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6vq49x5 (person)
Dan Blocker (b. December 10, 1928, DeKalb, TX – d. May 13, 1972, Los Angeles, CA) was an American television actor and Korean War veteran. He is best remembered for his role as Hoss Cartwright in the television series Bonanza....
Brown, George S. (George Scratchley), 1918-1978
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w60w2qvf (person)
George Scratchley Brown (August 17, 1918 – December 5, 1978) was a United States Air Force general who served as the eighth chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In this capacity, he served as the senior military adviser to the president of the United States, the National Security Council and the secretary of defense. Through the commanders of the unified and specified commands, he was also responsible for executing the decisions of the National Command Authorities regarding worldwide readiness...
Clay, Lucius D. (Lucius DuBignon), 1919-1994
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6gs315w (person)
General Lucius D. Clay Jr. (July 6, 1919 – February 7, 1994) was a United States military leader who held the positions of commander-in-chief of the North American Air Defense Command, the Continental Air Defense Command, the United States element of NORAD, and was also a commander of the United States Air Force's Aerospace Defense Command. His father, Lucius D. Clay Sr. and his brother, Frank Butner Clay, were also both generals, and his grandfather was Senator Alexander Stephens Clay of Georgi...
Burton, Phillip, 1926-1983
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w68055ns (person)
Arnold Phillip Burton (June 1, 1926 – April 10, 1983), more commonly known as Phillip Burton, was an American politician who served in the United States Congress. He served 10 terms in the United States House of Representatives as Congressman for California's San Francisco district; prior to that he served four terms in the California State Assembly. Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Burton moved to California during high school, graduating from San Francisco's George Washington High School in 1944. ...
Earley, Charity Adams, 1918-2002
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w60c7jhm (person)
Charity Edna Adams Earley (5 December 1918 – 13 January 2002) was an American United States Army officer, educator, and psychologist. Earley (serving in the military under Adams) was the first African-American woman to be an officer in the Women's Army Auxiliary Corps (WAAC, later WACS) and was the commanding officer of the first battalion of African-American women to serve overseas during World War II, the 6888th Central Postal Directory Battalion. The 6888th was nicknamed the "Six Triple E...
Anders, Frank L. (Frank LaFayette), 1875-1966
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6912vsc (person)
Frank LaFayette Anders (November 10, 1875 – January 23, 1966) was a United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Philippine–American War. He went on to become a noteworthy engineer, businessman, amateur military historian and politician. Anders's active military career began in December 1894 when he enlisted in Co. B of the 1st Regiment of the North Dakota National Guard. He was serving his second enlistment when his unit was sent to the Philippines in 189...
Becwar, George, 1917-1970
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6hv3f9n (person)
George Jerome Becwar was an actor known for his roles in the films Bride of the Monster (1955), War of the Colossal Beast (1958) and Sea Hunt (1958). Becwar was born on September 16, 1917 in Berwyn, Illinois. He died on July 9, 1970 in Santa Monica, California from a heart attack....
Anderson, Leroy, 1908-1975
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6qg9h7x (person)
Leroy Anderson was born on June 29, 1908 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. His family was musical, and as a boy he studied double bass, organ, and trombone. He continued his musical education at Harvard, where his teachers included Walter Piston and Georges Enesco; he graduated from college in 1929, and earned the M.A. in 1930. In the early 1930s he did additional graduate work in Scandinavian languages at Harvard; he also directed the Harvard Band and held numerous other musical jobs. I...
Anderson, Rudolf, Jr., 1927-1962
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w60h49vf (person)
Rudolf Anderson Jr. (September 15, 1927 – October 27, 1962) was an American and United States Air Force major and pilot, who was the first recipient of the Air Force Cross, the U.S. military's and Air Force's second-highest award and decoration for valor. The only U.S fatality by enemy fire during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Anderson died when his U-2 reconnaissance aircraft was shot down over Cuba. He also served in Korea after the Korean War ended. Although Major Anderson was the only combat ...
Areeda, Phillip E. (Phillip Elias), 1930-1995
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w60m31k6 (person)
Phillip Elias Areeda (January 28, 1930 – December 24, 1995) was born in Detroit, Michigan. He was of Lebanese ancestry. Areeda was an authority in antitrust law, and was often called upon to lend his expertise to academics and judiciaries. He was admitted to the Michigan Bar in 1954 after graduating from Harvard University. After law school, Areeda served in the U.S. Air Force for two years. In 1956, he became assistant special counsel to President Dwight D. Eisenhower, later joining the staff...
Autry, Gene, 1907-1998
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6b679pb (person)
Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed the Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician, rodeo performer, and baseball owner who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning style on radio, in films, and on television for more than three decades beginning in the early 1930s. Autry was the owner of a television station, several radio stations in Southern California, and the Los Angeles/California Angels Major League Baseball team from 19...
Shaw, Artie, 1910-2004
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6n40nx2 (person)
Artie Shaw (born Arthur Jacob Arshawsky; May 23, 1910 – December 30, 2004) was an American clarinetist, composer, bandleader, actor and author of both fiction and non-fiction. Widely regarded as "one of jazz's finest clarinetists", Shaw led one of the United States' most popular big bands in the late 1930s through the early 1940s. Though he had numerous hit records, he was perhaps best known for his 1938 recording of Cole Porter's "Begin the Beguine." Before the release of "Beguine," Shaw and...
Bassett, Charles A. (Charles Arthur), II, 1931-1966
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6fp1w37 (person)
Charles Arthur Bassett II, Major, USAF, (December 30, 1931 – February 28, 1966) was an American electrical engineer and United States Air Force test pilot. He went to Ohio State University for two years and later graduated from Texas Tech University. He joined the Air Force as a pilot and graduated from both the Aerospace Research Pilot School and the Air Force's Experimental Test Pilot School. Bassett was married and had two children. He was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1963 and was assigned...
Baumler, Albert John, 1914-1973
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6md2m16 (person)
Albert John "Ajax" Baumler (April 17, 1914 – August 2, 1973) was an American fighter ace during the Spanish Civil War and World War II. Baumler was born in Bayonne, New Jersey. In 1935–1936, he underwent primary pilot training at Randolph Field and was commissioned in the United States Army Air Corps. However, after the start of the Spanish Civil War, Baumler resigned his commission and offered his services to the Republican side. He went to Spain and served there from December 27, 1936, on ...
Beau, Lucas V. (Lucas Victor), 1895-1986
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6zj0vsp (person)
Lucas Victor Beau (1895-1986) was born in New York City. He served with the New York National Guard as a corporal on border patrol duty from June to December 1916. Appointed a flying cadet in August 1917, he entered the School of Military Aeronautics at Cornell University, and the following March became an instructor at Eberts Field, Arkansas. A month later he entered gunnery school at Wilbur Wright Field, Ohio, and in June 1918 was commissioned a temporary second lieutenant in the Air Service. ...
Becker, Roscoe George, 1932-1952
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6jb6z3f (person)
Roscoe George "Sonny" Becker (February 23, 1932 - June 13, 1952) was a United States Air Force Staff Sergeant during the Korean War. He was born in Tillamook, Oregon to Martin Becker and Alice Laura Andrews. Becker was a crew member on a RB-29A with the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, U.S. Air Force. On June 13, 1952, the aircraft departed Yokato Air Base, Honshu, Japan on an electronic surveillance mission. It was shot down by 2 Russian MiG-15's over the Sea of Japan south of Mys Ostr...
Benton, Thomas Hart, 1889-1975
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w67w6dp5 (person)
Thomas Hart Benton (April 15, 1889 – January 19, 1975) was an American painter and muralist. Along with Grant Wood and John Steuart Curry, he was at the forefront of the Regionalist art movement. The fluid, sculpted figures in his paintings showed everyday people in scenes of life in the United States. His work is strongly associated with the Midwestern United States, the region in which he was born and which he called home for most of his life. He also studied in Paris, lived in New York City f...
Berg, Eddie Ray, 1932-1952
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6zt3ng2 (person)
Eddie Ray Berg (December 7, 1932-June 13, 1952) was a Staff Sergeant and tail gunner in the United States Air Force during the Korean War. Staff Sergeant Berg was a crew member on a RB-29A with the 91st Strategic Reconnaissance Squadron, US Air Force. On June 13, 1952, the aircraft departed Yokato Air Base, Honshu, Japan on an electronic surveillance mission. It was shot down by 2 Russian MiG-15's over the Sea of Japan south of Mys Ostrovnoy, north of Hokkaido and 120 miles from the Russian c...
Borgstrom, Boyd Carl, 1921-1975
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6bq0tgc (person)
Boyd Carl Borgstrom (July 21, 1921-January 3, 1975) was the only surviving brother serving in the United States military when his four siblings died while also in service during World War II. He was born in Thatcher, Utah to Alben Borgstrom and Gunda Elizabeth Petersen. His brothers who became known widely as the Borgstrom brothers were four American siblings, including twins, killed over a six-month period during World War II. The brothers who were killed were: LeRoy Elmer Borgstrom, 30 (...
Borgstrom Brothers (Family)
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6gc2vsc (family)
The Borgstrom brothers were four American siblings, including twin brothers, killed over a six-month period during World War II. They were the sons of Alben and Gunda Borgstrom of Thatcher, Utah. The brothers were: LeRoy Elmer Borgstrom, 30 (born April 30, 1914, died June 22, 1944 in Italy), U.S. Army; Clyde Eugene Borgstrom, 28 (born February 15, 1916, died March 17, 1944 in Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands), U.S. Marine Corps; Rolon Day Borgstrom, 19 (born May 5, 1925, died August 8, 1944 in Yax...
Long, Westray Battle Boyce, 1901-1972
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w63854m4 (person)
Colonel Martha Westray Battle Long (August 10, 1901 – January 31, 1972), more commonly known as Westray Battle Long, nicknamed Webbie, was the second director of the Women's Army Corps and an early recipient of the Legion of Merit. Before entering the service, Long worked in her first husband's insurance agency and in various government agencies. She is best known for her service during World War II, which included serving on the staff of General Dwight D. Eisenhower. During her military servic...
Brett, George H. (George Howard), 1886-1963
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6zt3n6g (person)
George Howard Brett (7 February 1886 – 2 December 1963) was a United States Army Air Forces General during World War II. An Early Bird of Aviation, Brett served as a staff officer in World War I. In 1941, following the outbreak of war with Japan, Brett was appointed Deputy Commander of a short-lived major Allied command, the American-British-Dutch-Australian Command (ABDACOM), which oversaw Allied forces in South East Asia and the South West Pacific. In early 1942, he was put in charge of United...
Cooper, Merian C. (Merian Caldwell), 1893-1973
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6gb2c0x (person)
Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893 – April 21, 1973) was an American aviator, United States Air Force and Polish Air Force officer, adventurer, screenwriter, film director, and producer. Cooper was the founder of the Kościuszko Squadron during the Polish–Soviet War and was a Soviet prisoner of war for a time. He was a notable movie producer, and got his start with film as part of the Explorers Club, traveling the world and documenting adventures. He was a member of the board of directors o...
Doby, Larry, 1923-2003
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6fk37s2 (person)
Lawrence Eugene Doby (December 13, 1923 – June 18, 2003) was an American professional baseball player in the Negro leagues and Major League Baseball (MLB) who was the second black player to break baseball's color barrier and the first black player in the American League. A native of Camden, South Carolina and three-sport all-state athlete while in high school in Paterson, New Jersey, Doby accepted a basketball scholarship from Long Island University. At 17 years of age, he began his professional...
Ehrlichman, John D. (John Daniel), 1925-1999
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6xt6m3j (person)
John Daniel Ehrlichman (1925-1999) was a lawyer, author, company executive and former government official. He was director of convention activities and tour director for the Nixon for President campaign in 1968. In 1969 he served as Counsel to President Nixon, and from 1969 to 1973 he was Assistant to the President for Domestic Affairs and executive director of the staff on the Domestic Council....
Fiedler, Arthur, 1894-1979
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6fz82bv (person)
Arthur Fiedler (December 17, 1894 – July 10, 1979) was an American conductor known for his association with the Boston Symphony and Boston Pops orchestras. With a combination of musicianship and showmanship, he made the Boston Pops one of the best-known orchestras in the United States. Fiedler was sometimes criticized for over-popularizing music, particularly when adapting popular songs or editing portions of the classical repertoire, but he kept performances informal and sometimes self-mocking ...
Johnson, Leon W. (Leon William), 1904-1997
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6bs9j4p (person)
General Leon William Johnson (13 September 1904 – 10 November 1997) was a United States Air Force general who was awarded the Medal of Honor for leading the attack on the Ploesti oil fields during World War II. Johnson was born in Columbia, Missouri. He received his commission in the infantry from West Point in 1926, then earned his wings and transferred to the Air Corp in 1930. He advanced to the rank of brigadier general in November 1943 and commanded the 14th Combat Bomb Wing from Septembe...
Lear, Charles Byrd, 1916-1946
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Charles Byrd Lear (July 2, 1916-October 28, 1946) was the first African American Warrant Officer in the United States Navy. He was part of a group which became known as the Golden Thirteen, the thirteen African American enlisted men who became the first African American commissioned and warrant officers in the United States Navy. Charles Byrd Lear was born in Keokuk, Iowa, on 2 July 1916, the son of Cole A. and Naomi (Mills) Lear. He attended Keokuk High School, and prior to enlisting in th...
May, Geraldine P. (Geraldine Pratt), 1895-1997
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6mh0k12 (person)
Colonel Geraldine Pratt May (April 21, 1895-November 2, 1997) was the first director of Women in the Air Force (WAF) and the first woman colonel in the United States Air Force. May joined the Women’s Army Corps (WAC) in July of 1942. She was promoted to staff director of WAC's Air Transport Command in March of 1943. In 1948, May became the first director of the newly created Women in the Air Force (WAF) and was promoted to the rank of colonel making her the first woman colonel in the United Stat...
McGuire, Thomas Buchanan, Jr., 1920-1945
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Thomas Buchanan McGuire Jr. (August 1, 1920 – January 7, 1945) was an American United States Army major who was killed in action while serving as a member of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II and posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor. He was one of the most decorated American fighter pilots and the second highest scoring American ace of the war. McGuire was memorialized by the renaming of Fort Dix Army Air Force Base in Burlington County, New Jersey, to McGuire Air Force B...
Milling, Thomas D. (Thomas DeWitt), 1887-1960
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6b01vxr (person)
Thomas DeWitt Milling (July 31, 1887 – November 26, 1960) was a pioneer of military aviation and a brigadier general in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was the first rated pilot in the history of the United States Air Force. Milling received his flight training from the Wright Brothers and was awarded Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI) pilot certificate No. 30 on July 6, 1911. Although Milling was not the first U.S. Army aviator, he was the first to receive Military Aviator Certificate ...
O'Neil, Buck, 1911-2006
http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6tq9krt (person)
John Jordan "Buck" O'Neil Jr. (November 13, 1911 – October 6, 2006) was a first baseman and manager in the Negro American League, mostly with the Kansas City Monarchs. After his playing days, he worked as a scout and became the first African American coach in Major League Baseball. In his later years he became a popular and renowned speaker and interview subject, helping to renew widespread interest in the Negro leagues, and played a major role in establishing the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum i...
