World War II Honoree

Lester D. Bergman

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Honored By

Louise H. Bergman, David & Linda

Relationship

Wife, Son & Daughter-in-Law

SERVED AS A COPILOT OF A B-17 ‘FLYING FORTRESS’ BOMBER, WHO COMPLETED 35 COMBAT MISSIONS ‘13 AS A FLIGHT OFFICER AND 22 AS A 2ND LIEUTENANT’ WITH THE SAME CREW IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS. HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE 8TH AIR FORCE ‘MIGHTY EIGHTH’, 94TH BOMB GROUP, 331ST BOMB SQUADRON, STATIONED AT ROUGHAM FIELD, BURY ST. EDMUNDS, ENGLAND, UNITED STATES ARMY AIR FORCE STATION 468. CAMPAIGNS AND AIR BATTLES: AIR OFFENSIVE EUROPE: ARDENNES-ALSACE, RHINELAND AND CENTRAL EUROPE. PRIOR TO HIS OVERSEAS DEPLOYMENT, HIS BASIC MILITARY TRAINING BEGAN AT CLEVELAND, OHIO. LATER APPLIED AND WAS ACCEPTED INTO THE AVIATION CADET TRAINING PROGRAM WITH PRIMARY FLIGHT TRAINING AT HAWTHORNE ARMY AIR FIELD, ORANGEBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA. BASIC FLIGHT TRAINING AT SHAW ARMY AIR FIELD, SOUTH CAROLINA AND ADVANCED FLIGHT TRAINING AT MOODY ARMY AIR FIELD, GEORGIA. GRADUATED FROM ADVANCED TRAINING APRIL 1944, ACCEPTING THE RANK OF FLIGHT OFFICER AND HIS SILVER WINGS. DECORATIONS AND CITATIONS: AIR MEDAL WITH 5 OAK LEAF CLUSTERS, ARMY GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH 3 BRONZE SERVICE STARS, WWII VICTORY MEDAL. THE MERCHANT MARINE COMBAT BAR, ATLANTIC WAR ZONE MERCHANT MARINE MEDAL, MEDITERRANEAN M.E., MERCHANT MARINE MEDAL AND THE MERCHANT MARINE WWII VICTORY MEDAL. PRIOR TO HIS ARMY AIR CORPS CAREER, HE HAD SERVED WITH THE MERCHANT MARINES FOR 2 YEARS. HE RECEIVED HIS COMMISSION AND PROMOTION TO 2ND LIEUTENANT JANUARY 11, 1945 DURING HIS EUROPEAN COMBAT TOUR. ENTERED THE SERVICE NOVEMBER 3, 1942 AND WAS HONORABLY DISCHARGED NOVEMBER 5, 1945 AT FORT DIX, NEW JERSEY.