World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Thomas G. Eppinger
Branch of Service
U.S. Army Air Force
Hometown
Huntington Woods, Michigan
Honored By
Jerry Penry
RANK: 2ND LIEUTENANT. SERVED AS A PILOT IN A B-17G ‘FLYING FORTRESS’ BOMBER, AND WAS KILLED APRIL 24, 1944 ALONG WITH THE COPILOT. HE WAS BASED OUT OF KEARNY, NEBRASKA ARMY AIR FIELD AND WAS CONDUCTING A LOCAL INSTRUMENT CALIBRATION AND AN AIRCRAFT FAMILIARIZATION FLIGHT WHEN THE BOMBER SUFFERED AN ELECTRICAL FIRE. IT STARTED IN THE NOSE AREA AND QUICKLY GOT OUT OF CONTROL AND ENGULFED THE FRONT SECTION. AS THE CREW WAS UNSUCCESSFUL IN EXTINGUISHING THE FIRE, HE GAVE THE ORDER TO ABANDON THE AIRCRAFT. SIX CREWMEN BAILED OUT AND PARACHUTED TO SAFETY. THE BOMBER STRUCK THE GROUND IN A FLAT ATTITUDE, SKIDDED FOR SOME DISTANCE AND THEN EXPLODED INTO FLAMES. HE AND THE CO-PILOT WERE FATALLY INJURED WHEN THEY ATTEMPTED TO EXIT THE AIRCRAFT WITH OUT A PARACHUTE BEFORE IT CRASHED. THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED IN THE VICINITY OF BERTRAND, NEBRASKA.