World War II Honoree

Harry P. Hagen

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Springfield, Pennsylvania

Honored By

Nancy Nick, Linda Serata, Debbie Shepherd

Relationship

Daughters

380TH BOMB GROUP, SQUADRON 528, FAR EAST AIR FORCE, 5TH AIR FORCE IN SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS, 1945. BRIEFLY, IN FEBRUARY 1945 WHILE SWIMMING ON A BEACH, HE LOCATED TWO CRATES OF MAE WEST VESTS ALLOCATED FOR NON-FLYING PERSONNEL. HIS SQUADRON HAD BEEN FLYING FOR TWO WEEKS WITHOUT ANY VESTS AS THEIR SHIP HAD BEEN UNABLE TO DELIVER THEIR VESTS DUE TO SUBMARINES IN THE AREA. MY DAD HAD BEEN CHALLENGED BY THE GUARD AND HEARD A CARTRIDGE BEING CHAMBERED. HIS EXPLANATION OF NEEDING THE VESTS WAS DISMISSED BY THE GUARD. HE REPORTED HIS FIND TO HIS COMMANDING OFFICER WHO THEN TOOK FULL RESPONSIBILITY OF TAKING THE VESTS. THIS INCIDENT SAVED THE LIVES OF MY DAD AND SEVERAL OTHERS TWO WEEKS LATER WHEN THEY HAD TO PARACHUTE INTO THE SOUTH CHINA SEA FROM THEIR DISABLED AIRCRAFT WHILE ON A MISSION. HE HAD SPENT TEN HOURS AFLOAT AT SEA AND HEARD AIRCRAFT DRONING IN THE WEST. HE HAD HIS SIGNAL MIRROR IN HIS FLIGHT JACKET SO HE FLASHED THE SUN REFLECTION TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT, LOOKING FOR ANY OF THE DOWNED SQUADRON, HAD SPOTTED HIS SIGNAL. THEY DROPPED A RAFT FOR THE CREW TO SWIM TO. THE CREW WAS PICKED UP TWO DAYS LATER BY A UNITED STATES NAVY DESTROYER, USS FRAZIER DD-607, DEPLOYED FROM OKINAWA. HE AND FOUR FLYERS WERE RESCUED BY HIS DILIGENCE. WHILE RECUPERATING FROM THE RESCUE IN THE 165TH STATION HOSPITAL OFF MAKO JAPANESE NAVAL BASE IN PESCADORES ISLAND OFF CHINA, HE WAS VISITED BY A LIEUTENANT COLONEL, A MAJOR, AND TWO AIR FORCE CAPTAINS FROM THE 5TH BOMBER COMMAND, AND WAS AWARDED AN ACCELERATED PROMOTION TO FIRST LIEUTENANT AND BECAME AIR-SEA RESCUE COORDINATOR FOR THE ENTIRE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS. SEVERAL DAYS LATER, HE WAS RETURNED TO THE CONTINENTAL U.S. VIA HOSPITAL SHIP. HIS COMMANDING OFFICER REQUESTED THE FOLLOWING MEDALS OF VALOR FOR HIM: DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS, PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION, AMERICAN THEATER DEFENSE MEDAL, PHILIPPINE LIBERATION MEDAL.