World War II Honoree

Charles A. Clinch, Jr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Harrisburg, Pennsylvania

Relationship

Self

ENLISTED 18 JUNE 1940 AS NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER; HONORABLE DISCHARGE 29 AUGUST 1943 AS AVIATION CADET. RE-ENLISTED 30 AUGUST 1943 AS COMMISSIONED OFFICER; HONORABLE DISCHARGE 3 AUGUST 1945 AS FIRST LIEUTENANT. TWELFTH AIR FORCE DIVISION, 340TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (M) PILOT OF B-25 (MITCHELL) IN EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS-SOUTHERN FRANCE, NORTHERN ITALY, AIR OFFENSIVE OVER EUROPE. FLEW 67 COMBAT MISSIONS AS ELEMENT AND SQUADRON LEAD PILOT. LOGGED 1030 FLYING HOURS OF WHICH 198 WERE COMBAT. INSTRUCTED CADETS IN ADVANCED TWIN-ENGINE FLYING. EVALUATED AND PASSED ON THEIR FLYING ABILITY. ALSO INSTRUCTED IN INSTRUMENTS. ORIENTED NEW PILOTS OVERSEAS IN COMBAT PROCEDURES AND TECHNIQUES. AWARDED THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS; AIR MEDAL WITH 7 OAK LEAF CLUSTERS FOR MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT WHILE PARTICIPATING IN AERIAL FLIGHT AS PILOT OF A B-25 TYPE AIRCRAFT DURING AN ATTACK UPON A RAILROAD BRIDGE NEAR VERINO, ITALY ON 4 JUNE 1944; 3 BATTLE STARS ON A EUROPEAN THEATER RIBBON AND PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION WITH CLUSTER. AS ENLISTED MAN SERVED IN VARIOUS ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITIES AS SQUADRON CLERK, SQUADRON SERGEANT MAJOR, FIRST SERGEANT AND GROUP SERGEANT MAJOR. IN LATTER CAPACITY RANKED AS ADMINISTRATIVE NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER IN GROUP. GRADE-MASTER SERGEANT.