World War II Honoree
World War II Veteran
Charles T. Cockrell
Branch of Service
U.S. Army Air Force
Hometown
Freeport, Florida
Honored By
Charles T. Cockrell
FLIGHT OFFICER IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS, 8TH AIR FORCE, 305TH BOMB GROUP, 366TH BOMB SQUADRON. BASED IN HONOLULU, HAWAII, AT HICKAM FIELD WHEN PEARL HARBOR WAS ATTACKED; SURVIVED. FINISHED ADVANCED PILOT TRAINING SCHOOL IN ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO, NOVEMBER 1942. ASSEMBLED AS A CREW IN WALLA WALLA, WASHINGTON, DECEMBER 1942. BASED AND FLEW OUT OF CHELVESTON, ENGLAND AS CO-PILOT FOR BOMBING MISSIONS OF GERMAN TARGETS ON A B-17 BOMBER NAMED, LOCHENVAR. THEY WERE SHOT DOWN ON JULY 4, 1943 AND WERE CAPTURED IMMEDIATELY. WAS A GERMAN POW AT STALAG LUFT III AND STALAG LUFT VII-A UNTIL MAY 8, 1945. RETURNED HOME IN JULY 1945. SERVED 6 YEARS IN THE AIR FORCE; 34 YEARS DUPONT; RETIRED APRIL 1980.