World War II Honoree

Leon Gandy

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Hemphill, Texas

Honored By

William E. Shaklee

Relationship

Friend

AFTER GRADUATING FROM FLYING SCHOOL ON DECEMBER 13, 1941, HE SPENT THE NEXT YEAR AND A HALF FLYING AS A STAFF PILOT FOR HEADQUARTERS 2ND AIR FORCE AT SPOKANE, WASHINGTON. IN EARLY SUMMER OF 1943 HE WAS ASSIGNED TO THE CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATRE AS A STAFF PILOT AT HEADQUARTERS IN NEW DELHI, INDIA. AFTER FOUR MONTHS HE WAS ASSIGNED TO A B-24 OUTFIT AT AN AIR BASE JUST NORTH OF CALCUTTA, INDIA. AS A SENIOR CAPTAIN, HE BECAME A SQUADRON COMMANDER WITH 15 COMBAT AIRPLANES AND 25 COMBAT CREWS, ONE OF THREE LARGE SQUADRONS COMPRISING THE 7TH BOMB GROUP. IN MID-1945, AFTER FLYING 65 COMBAT MISSIONS AND EARNING SEVERAL DECORATIONS, HE WAS PROMOTED TO LIEUTENANT COLONEL AND RETURNED TO THE U.S. IN JULY 1945, ARRIVING IN NEW YORK ON V-J DAY.