World War II Honoree

Peter Jason Fryer

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Tulsa, Oklahoma

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

LEFT COLLEGE TO ENTER MILITARY SERVICE. APPLIED, AND WAS SELECTED FOR AIRCREW TRAINING IN THE AVIATION CADET PROGRAM AS A NAVIGATOR. UPON SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF PREFLIGHT SCHOOL, FLEXIBLE GUNNERY SCHOOL, AND BASIC AND ADVANCED NAVIGATION TRAINING, WAS AWARDED HIS SILVER NAVIGATOR WINGS AND COMMISSIONED A SECOND LIEUTENANT. NEXT, ASSIGNED FOR UNIT TRAINING IN THE AIRCRAFT HE WOULD FLY ON IN COMBAT. DEPLOYED TO ENGLAND AND JOINED THE 8TH AIR FORCE. SERVED AS A B-17 ‘FLYING FORTRESS’ NAVIGATOR OVERSEAS IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER WITH THE 306TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (HEAVY), 8TH AIR FORCE, STATIONED AT THURLEIGH ENGLAND (STATION 111), DURING THE WAR. HIS UNIT’S AREA OF OPERATIONS INCLUDED GERMANY AND OCCUPIED EUROPE. HE PARTICIPATED IN THE AIR OFFENSIVE EUROPE CAMPAIGN. HIS UNIT SERVED PRIMARILY AS A DAYLIGHT STRATEGIC BOMBING ORGANIZATION. AS A NAVIGATOR, HE PLOTTED THE COURSE OF THE AIRCRAFT TO AND FROM THE TARGET AREA, FURNISHED THE PILOT WITH FLIGHT DIRECTIONS EN ROUTE, AND KEPT THE FLIGHT LOG BOOK. ALSO SERVED AS AN AERIAL GUNNER WHEN UNDER ATTACK. IN NOVEMBER, 1942, WHILE FLYING ON HIS 5TH MISSION, HIS AIRCRAFT WAS SHOT DOWN OVER FRANCE. HE WAS TAKEN AS A PRISONER OF WAR (POW) BY THE GERMANS AND INCARCERATED IN STALAG LUFT III, FOR SOME 30 MONTHS. THE POW CAMP WAS LOCATED IN THE GERMAN PROVINCE OF LOWER SILESIA NEAR THE TOWN OF SAGAN (NOW IN POLAND). HIS CAMP WAS LIBERATED ON APRIL 29, 1945. AWARDED HIS SILVER AERIAL GUNNER BADGE, AIR MEDAL, PRISONER OF WAR MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH 1 BRONZE SERVICE STAR, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. HONORABLY DISCHARGED AND ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON.