World War II Honoree

Lloyd Bentsen

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Texas

Honored By

Bellevue Veterans Club

SERVED 18 MONTHS OF COMBAT. FLEW 35 DANGEROUS MISSIONS AGAINST MANY DIFFICULT, REMOTE AND HIGHLY DEFENDED TARGETS SUCH AS THE PLOESTI OIL FIELDS IN ROMANIA, WHICH WERE CRITICAL TO THE ENEMY'S WAR STRATEGY. THE 15TH AIR FORCE, TO WHICH THE 449TH BOMB SQUADRON WAS ATTACHED, IS CREDITED WITH DESTROYING ALL OF THE PETROLEUM PRODUCTION WITHIN ITS RANGE, WHICH EQUATED TO ABOUT HALF OF GERMANY'S SOURCES OF FUEL ON THE CONTINENT. HIS UNIT ALSO FLEW AGAINST COMMUNICATIONS CENTERS, AIRCRAFT FACTORIES AND INDUSTRIAL TARGETS IN GERMANY, ITALY, AUSTRIA, CZECHOSLOVAKIA, HUNGARY, ROMANIA AND BULGARIA. HE PARTICIPATED IN BOMBING RAIDS IN SUPPORT OF THE ANZIO CAMPAIGN AND FLEW BOMBERS AGAINST HARD TARGETS IN PREPARATION FOR THE LANDING IN SOUTHERN FRANCE. OVERALL, WHILE IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS, HE FLEW OVER 200 BOMBING MISSIONS OVER EUROPE. HE WAS AWARDED THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS, ONE OF THE ARMY AIR CORPS' AND NOW THE AIR FORCE'S HIGHEST COMMENDATIONS FOR VALOR IN COMBAT. IN ADDITION TO THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS, HE WAS AWARDED THE AIR MEDAL WITH 3 OAK LEAF CLUSTERS. THE AIR MEDAL AND EACH INDIVIDUAL CLUSTER REPRESENT SPECIFIC CAMPAIGNS FOR WHICH HE WAS DECORATED. BEFORE COMPLETING HIS MILITARY SERVICE, HE WAS PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF COLONEL IN THE AIR FORCE RESERVE.