World War II Honoree

Wallace Reid Hathcox, Jr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Mobile, Alabama

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: 2ND LIEUTENANT. HE WAS A UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS PILOT, WHO SERVED ABOARD THE AIRCRAFT CARRIER, USS ESSEX CV-9 IN THE PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS. HE FLEW THE F4U-1D CORSAIR FIGHTER-BOMBER ASSIGNED TO THE MARINE ATTACK SQUADRON TWO-THIRTEEN ‘VMF-213’, MARINE AIRCRAFT GROUP-4. ON FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1945 HE FLEW A LOW LEVEL AIRSTRIKE RAID OVER THE ISLAND OF HONSHU, JAPAN. REPORTED AS MISSING IN ACTION, LOST AT SEA ON THE DAY OF THE MISSION AND HE IS MEMORIALIZED IN THE COURTS OF THE MISSING, HONOLULU NATIONAL MEMORIAL CEMETERY OF THE PACIFIC, ‘PUNCHBOWL’ HAWAII. DECORATIONS AND CITATIONS: DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS AND THE PURPLE HEART. THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS WAS AWARDED TO THE LIEUTENANT FOR HEROISM AND EXTRAORDINARY ACHIEVEMENT WHILE PARTICIPATING IN AERIAL FLIGHT AGAINST JAPANESE FORCES AND THE PURPLE HEART FOR HIS ULTIMATE SACRIFICE IN DEFENSE OF HIS COUNTRY.