World War II Honoree

Francis W. Nye

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Barton, Vermont

Honored By

Maureen Gilmore Nye

Relationship

Wife

LIEUTENANT COLONEL. IN 1942, B-24 PILOT WITH THE 98TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP, NINTH AIR FORCE, OPERATING FROM PALESTINE, EGYPT AND NORTH AFRICA. IN 1943, RETURNED TO THE U.S. AFTER FLYING 36 MISSIONS. ASSIGNED TO THE 444TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP, TUCSON, ARIZONA AS A B-24 INSTRUCTOR PILOT. IN SEPTEMBER 1943, ENTERED THE B-29 PROGRAM AS AN ACCEPTANCE TEST PILOT AT THE BOEING COMPANY PLANT, WICHITA, KANSAS. THEN ASSIGNED WITH THE 468TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP TO THE CHINA-BURMA-INDIA THEATER WHERE HE FLEW 11 COMBAT MISSIONS. MAY 1945, WENT TO TINIAN ISLAND THEN BACK TO ROSWELL, NEW MEXICO TO CONTINUE CAREER IN THE U.S. AIR FORCE IN KOREA AND STRATEGIC AIR COMMAND. RECEIVED THE DISTINGUISHED SERVICE MEDAL, LEGION OF MERIT, DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS WITH ONE OAK LEAF CLUSTER, THE AIR MEDAL WITH THREE OAK LEAF CLUSTERS AND THE AIR FORCE COMMENDATION MEDAL.