World War II Honoree

Jose Maria Guerra

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Laredo, Texas

Honored By

Douglas M. Alford, USN

HE LEFT LAREDO ON OCTOBER 12, 1942 TO ENTER THE ARMY AIR CORPS AS A PILOT, BUT DUE TO AN EYE DEFICIENCY HE COULD NOT. HE BECAME A CREW MEMBER. HE WAS SENT TO DENVER, COLORADO TO LEARN ABOUT MACHINE GUNS ON THE B-24 LIBERATOR. HE WAS THEN SENT TO GUNNERY SCHOOL AT THE LAREDO AIR FIELD, LAREDO, TEXAS, HIS HOME TOWN. IN LAREDO HE FLEW AT-6 TRAINERS. FROM THERE HE WAS SHIPPED OUT TO CALIFORNIA FOR ADVANCED TRAINING AND THEN TO TONOPAH, NEVADA WHERE HE TOOK HIS B-24 TRAINING. THEY FLEW PRACTICE RUNS ALL UP AND DOWN THE WEST COAST. HE WAS THEN TRANSFERRED TO TIBENHAM, ENGLAND BY WAY OF A TROOP SHIP. THERE HE JOINED THE 8TH AIR FORCE AND TRAINED IN IRELAND WITH EXPERIENCED COMBAT GUNNERS. HE FLEW 35 MISSIONS OVER GERMANY FROM THE BASE IN ENGLAND. THE LAST FLIGHT WAS ON FEBRUARY 14, 1945. HE WAS TRANSFERRED TO NEW YORK CITY AND RETURNED ON THE QUEEN MARY DOCKING IN NEW YORK ON APRIL 12, 1945. DURING HIS TOUR HE RECEIVED SEVEN AIR MEDALS AND FIVE BATTLE STARS FOR SERVICE IN NORTHERN FRANCE, RHINELAND, ARDENNES AND BATTLE OF THE BULGE; THE PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION FOR SPENDING 36 MONTHS IN SERVICE WITH 18 MONTHS IN COMBAT. HE WAS VERY PROUD TO HAVE SERVED HIS COUNTRY.