World War II Honoree

Lewis White Evans

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Ripley, Tennessee

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: PRIVATE 1ST CLASS. HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS JULY 1, 1942 AND PARTICIPATED IN BASIC COMBAT TRAINING AT THE MARINE CORPS RECRUIT DEPOT PARRIS ISLAND SOUTH, CAROLINA. AFTER BOOT CAMP, HE WAS DESIGNATED TO ATTEND THE MARINE AVIATION FLIGHT TRAINING PROGRAM AND WAS TRAINED IN RADIO OPERATIONS AND AVIATION GUNNERY. SERVED AS A RADIO OPERATOR/GUNNER ON THE MARINE PBJ-1 BOMBER (A VARIANT OF THE MITCHELL B-25 BOMBER) IN THE PACIFIC THEATER OF OPERATIONS. THIS AVIATOR EXPERIENCED COMBAT, WHILE ASSIGNED TO THE MARINE BOMBING SQUADRON FOUR-THIRTEEN ‘VMB-413’, NICKNAMED ‘THE FLYING NIGHTMARES’, MARINE AIR GROUP-SIXTY ONE, THIRD MARINE AIRCRAFT WING. HIS SQUADRON WAS BASED ON CANTON ISLAND ATOLL LOCATED IN THE PHOENIX ISLAND GROUP. ON SATURDAY, JANUARY 22, 1944 HE AND HIS FIVE CREW MEMBERS WERE REPORTED MISSING ON A FLIGHT FROM CANTON TO THE ISLAND OF TUTUILA, THE LARGEST AND MAIN ISLAND OF AMERICAN SAMOA. REPORTED AS MISSING IN ACTION, LOST AT SEA TUESDAY, JANUARY 23, 1945 AND HE IS MEMORIALIZED IN THE TABLETS OF THE MISSING, HONOLULU NATIONAL MEMORIAL CEMETERY OF THE PACIFIC, ‘PUNCHBOWL’ HAWAII.