World War II Honoree

Everette Luther Abernathy

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Hildebran, North Carolina

Honored By

Sam E. Pennartz

ENLISTED IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS ON 25 AUGUST 1942 AT CAMP CROFT NEAR SPARTANBURG, SOUTH CAROLINA. UNDERWENT B-29 AIRCRAFT OPERATIONAL TRAINING AT WALKER ARMY AIR FIELD, KANSAS. DEPLOYED TO THE CENTRAL PACIFIC THEATRE OF OPERATIONS AND WAS ASSIGNED TO 20TH AIR FORCE, XXI BOMBER COMMAND, 73RD BOMB WING, 500TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP, 881ST BOMB SQUADRON STATIONED AT ISLEY FIELD ON SAIPAN IN THE MARIANA ISLANDS. ON 27 NOVEMBER 1944, HE FLEW AS THE RADAR OPERATOR ABOARD A BOEING B-29 SUPERFORTRESS, TAIL CODE Z-SQUARE-2 (SERIAL # 42-24662). IT WAS ONE OF 81 AIRCRAFT LAUNCHED IN A MULTI-GROUP FORMATION TO BOMBARD THE MUSASHINO AIRCRAFT PLANT AND NAKAJIMA AIRCRAFT ENGINE FACTORY NEAR TOKYO, JAPAN. HE WAS KILLED WHEN HIS BATTLE DAMAGED AIRCRAFT RAN LOW ON FUEL AND WAS FORCED TO DITCH IN THE OCEAN APPROXIMATELY 200 MILES NORTH OF SAIPAN. ON 28 NOVEMBER 1944, HIS LAST KNOWN POSITION AT 21 DEGREES NORTH, 147 DEGREES EAST WAS EXTENSIVELY SEARCHED BY THE DESTROYERS USS ROE AND USS FANNING, AND THREE AIR-SEA RESCUE 'DUMBO' AIRCRAFT, WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS.