World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Solomon T. Nichols, Jr.
Branch of Service
U.S. Army Air Force
Hometown
Wayne County, Georgia
Honored By
Orville L. Kline
RANK: STAFF SERGEANT. HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE ARMY AIR CORPS JANUARY 1, 1943 AT FORT MCPHERSON, ATLANTA, GEORGIA. SERVED AS A B-29 ‘SUPERFORTRESS’ BOMBER RADIO OPERATOR ASSIGNED TO THE 792ND BOMB SQUADRON, 468TH BOMB GROUP, 58TH BOMB WING, XXI BOMBER COMMAND, U.S. 20TH AIR FORCE. HIS UNIT WAS STATIONED AT THE WEST FIELD ‘GURGUAN POINT’, TINIAN, MARIANA ISLANDS, PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS. ON JULY 3, 1945 SHORTLY AFTER TAKE-OFF FOR A NIGHT INCENDIARY RAID ON TAKAMATSU, JAPAN, HIS AIRCRAFT EXPLODED AND CRASHED INTO THE PACIFIC OCEAN ABOUT 2000 YARDS OFF THE EAST COAST OF TINIAN. THE NAVY CONDUCTED SEARCH EFFORTS FOR 48 HOURS, BUT NO TRACE OF THE BOMBER OR ANY OF THE 11 CREWMEN WAS FOUND. HE WAS REPORTED MISSING IN ACTION AND LOST AT SEA TUESDAY, JULY 3, 1945 AND IS MEMORIALIZED AT THE HONOLULU NATIONAL MEMORIAL CEMETERY ‘PUNCHBOWL’, HONOLULU, HAWAII. DECORATIONS AND MEDALS: DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS, AIR MEDAL WITH 1 OAK LEAF CLUSTER AND A PURPLE HEART.