World War II Honoree

Carl Yaeger

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Springer, Oklahoma

Honored By

William E. Shaklee

Relationship

Friend

DRAFTED AND ENTERED THE U.S. ARMY AIR CORPS IN 1943 IN OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA, AND FOLLOWING PLACEMENT TESTS IN FORT SILL NEAR LAWTON, HE WENT TO WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS, FOR BASIC TRAINING. THEN HE WENT TO LOWRY FIELD IN DENVER, COLORADO, AS A STUDENT IN THE B-17 TURRET AND COMPUTING GUNSIGHT SCHOOL; THEN TO CLOVIS, NEW MEXICO AND RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA, FOR FLIGHT-LINE WORK ON B-17 AIRCRAFT. HE WAS SENT TO SOUTH BEND, INDIANA, FOR TRAINING AT THE BENDIX TURRET FACTORY. HE WENT BACK TO RAPID CITY BRIEFLY BEFORE BEING TRANSFERRED TO SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS; BACK TO LOWRY AS AN ADVANCED STUDENT; BACK TO SAN ANTONIO; THEN BACK TO LOWRY AS AN INSTRUCTOR. HE WAS ASSIGNED TO AN OVERSEAS REPLACEMENT DEPOT IN SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH, WHEN THE WAR ENDED. HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE IN PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA, TO DO OFFICE WORK UNTIL DISCHARGED AT FT. SMITH, ARKANSAS.