World War II Honoree

Leroy Fletcher Prouty

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Springfield, Massachusetts

Honored By

John Peterson

HE BEGAN HIS MILITARY CAREER WITH THE 4TH ARMORED DIVISION IN PINE CAMP, NEW YORK. HE TRANSFERRED TO THE UNITED STATES ARMY AIR FORCES IN 1942 EARNING HIS PILOT'S WINGS IN NOVEMBER. HE ARRIVED IN BRITISH WEST AFRICA IN FEBRUARY 1943 AS A PILOT WITH AIR TRANSPORT COMMAND. IN THE SUMMER OF 1943 HE WAS THE PERSONAL PILOT OF GENERAL OMAR BRADLEY, GENERAL JOHN C. H. LEE AND GENERAL C. R. SMITH, AMONG OTHERS. HE FLEW THE U.S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TEAM IN SAUDI ARABIA, OCTOBER 1943, TO CONFIRM OIL DISCOVERIES IN PREPARATION FOR THE CAIRO CONFERENCE. HE WAS ASSIGNED TO SPECIAL DUTIES AT THE CAIRO CONFERENCE AND THE TEHRAN CONFERENCE NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 1943. HE FLEW CHIANG KAI-SHEK'S CHINESE DELEGATION TO TEHRAN. AN IMPORTANT MISSION HE WAS INVOLVED IN WAS THE EVACUATION OF THE BRITISH COMMANDOS INVOLVED IN THE BATTLE OF LEROS FROM LEROS TO PALESTINE. IN 1945 HE TRANSFERRED TO SOUTHWEST PACIFIC AND FLEW IN NEW GUINEA, LEYTE AND WAS ON OKINAWA AT THE END OF WAR. HE LANDED NEAR TOKYO AT THE TIME OF THEIR SURRENDER WITH THE FIRST THREE PLANES CARRYING GENERAL DOUGLAS MACARTHUR'S BODYGUARD TROOPS. HE FLEW OUT WITH AMERICAN PRISONERS OF WAR.