World War II Honoree

Wesley J. Cowell, Jr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

East Lansing, Michigan

Honored By

Jan Koop

Relationship

Niece

PRIVATE, ARMY AIR FORCE TRAINING CENTER AT MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA FROM FEBRUARY 1943 TO MARCH 1943. AVIATION STUDENT AT WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY IN CLEVELAND, OHIO FROM MARCH 1943 TO JUNE 1943. AVIATION STUDENT IN GROUP D, SQUADRON 1, NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE FROM JUNE 1943 TO AUGUST 1943. AVIATION CADET AT SELMON FIELD, MONROE, LOUISIANA FROM AUGUST 1943 TO OCTOBER 1943. AVIATION CADET AT ARMY AIR FORCE NAVIGATION SCHOOL, SAN MARCOS, TEXAS FROM OCTOBER 1943 TO FEBRUARY 1944. GRADUATED AS 2ND LIEUTENANT, ARMY AIR FORCE, SAN MARCOS, TEXAS, FEBRUARY 5, 1944. 2ND LIEUTENANT ARMY AIR FORCE AT DAVIS-MONTHAN FIELD, TUCSON, ARIZONA FROM FEBRUARY 1944 TO MARCH 1944. ASSIGNED TO FLIGHT CREW AT WENDOVER FIELD, WENDOVER, UTAH FROM MARCH 1944 TO APRIL 1944. ASSIGNED TO B-24 LIBERATOR BOMBER (I'LL GET BY) AT MOUNTAIN HOME ARMY AIR BASE, IDAHO, 494TH BOMBER GROUP, 864TH SQUADRON FROM APRIL 1944 TO MAY 1944. BOMBER TRAINING AT KAUAI, HAWAII FROM MAY 1944 TO NOVEMBER 1944. 20 BOMBER MISSIONS OVER THE PHILIPPINES FROM PALAU ISLAND AIRFIELD FROM NOVEMBER 1944 TO FEBRUARY 1945. ON THEIR 21ST MISSION OVER JAPANESE HELD MINDANAO IN THE PHILIPPINES, THE B-24 BOMBER WAS SHOT DOWN ON FEBRUARY 17, 1945 AND HE PARACHUTED SAFELY TO BE RESCUED BY FILIPINO NATIVES. HE RETURNED TO U.S. MILITARY CONTROL ON MARCH 2, 1945. FROM MARCH 1944 TO JUNE 1944, HE WAS ASSIGNED TO BASES IN HAWAII AND MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA. DISCHARGED AT MIAMI BEACH, FLORIDA ON JUNE 1, 1945.