World War II Honoree

Roy H. Nunn, Jr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Houston, Texas

Honored By

Jerry Penry

RANK: 2ND LIEUTENANT. SERVED AS A COPILOT OF A B-17 ‘FLYING FORTRESS’ BOMBER, WHO WAS KILLED AUGUST 28, 1943 IN A MID-AIR COLLISION INVOLVING THREE BOMBERS DURING A PREPARATORY TO LANDING AT THE HARVARD, NEBRASKA ARMY AIRFIELD. IN THE LATE EVENING, A FORMATION OF EIGHT B-17’S WERE APPROACHING THE AIRFIELD AND WERE TO SIMULATE A PEEL-OFF OUT OF FORMATION LANDING. THE PILOT OF ONE BOMBER, WHO WAS PREPARING TO LAND, ABORTED THE LANDING, PULLED UPWARD AND COLLIDED WITH ANOTHER BOMBER WITH BOTH AIRPLANES CRASHING ON THE AIRFIELD. THE THIRD BOMBER, SEVERELY DAMAGED, CRASHED LANDED IN AN OPEN FIELD, AS THE PILOT WAS UNABLE TO AVOID THE WRECKAGE AND DEBRIS OF THE TWO BOMBERS THAT HAD COLLIDED IN MID-AIR. THIRTEEN AIRMEN WERE KILLED FROM THE MID-AIR COLLISION, TWO CREWMEN FROM THE 3RD BOMBER PARACHUTED TO SAFETY AND ONE DIED WHILE ATTEMPTING A PARACHUTE JUMP.