World War II Honoree

Thomas Dudley 'Tom' Harmon

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Rensselaer, Indiana

Honored By

Friends of American Heroes

HE PROUDLY SERVED HIS COUNTRY WHEN DURING WWII HE ENLISTED AS A PILOT IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS ON MARCH 22, 1942 AND WAS COMMISSIONED AFTER COMPLETING FLIGHT TRAINING AT OXNARD AIR FORCE BASE. IN APRIL 1943, HE PARACHUTED INTO THE SOUTH AMERICAN JUNGLE WHEN HIS PLANE FLEW INTO A TROPICAL STORM. INITIALLY IT WAS THOUGHT THAT NONE OF THE CREW SURVIVED AND HE WAS THE OBJECT OF A MASSIVE REGIONAL SEARCH OPERATION ONCE HIS PLANE WAS REPORTED MISSING. FOUR DAYS LATER HE STUMBLED INTO A CLEARING IN DUTCH GUIANA. HE THEN TRANSFERRED TO SINGLE SEAT FIGHTERS. IN OCTOBER THAT YEAR, WHILE ON AN ESCORT MISSION ACCOMPANYING A FLIGHT OF BOMBERS, HIS P-38 WAS SHOT DOWN BY THE JAPANESE DURING A DOGFIGHT AND HE WAS FORCED TO BAIL OUT INTO JAPANESE-OCCUPIED CHINA WHERE HE WAS LATER RESCUED BY ANTI-JAPANESE CHINESE GUERRILLAS. HE WAS AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART AND THE SILVER STAR FOR HIS ACTIONS WITH THE 449TH FIGHTER SQUADRON.