World War II Honoree

Bertil Hiram Ostlind

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

McPherson, Kansas

Honored By

Pat Oslind

Relationship

Wife

DRAFTED FEBRUARY 15, 1941 TO TRAIN FOR ONE YEAR. AFTER PEARL HARBOR, ALL DISCHARGES WERE CANCELLED. TRAINED IN INFANTRY UNTIL NOVEMBER 2, 1942. RECEIVED DISCHARGE AS PRIVATE FIRST CLASS AND ACCEPTED INTO ARMY AIR CORPS AS CADET IN TRAINING TO EARN PILOT'S WINGS. ATTENDED PRE-FLIGHT AT SANTANA AIR CORPS BASE, PRIMARY FLIGHT SCHOOL AT PHOENIX, ARIZONA. BASIC AT MARANA FLIGHT SCHOOL IN TUCSON, ARIZONA. ADVANCED AT LUKE FIELD, PHOENIX. RECEIVED WINGS AND COMMISSIONED AS 2ND LIEUTENANT NOVEMBER 3, 1943. BOARDED THE SHIP, EMPRESS OF SCOTLAND, DECEMBER 10, 1943 AT NEWPORT NEWS, VIRGINIA. ARRIVED CASABLANCA, AFRICA, DECEMBER 25, 1943. TRAVELED BY CATTLE TRAIN FROM CASABLANCA TO CONSTANTINE TO CONTINUE TRAINING. A SHORTAGE OF C-47 PILOTS DEVELOPED FROM LOSSES OF AIRCRAFT SHOT DOWN BY ERROR AS THEY APPROACHED SICILY TO DROP PARATROOPS. ONE HUNDRED PILOTS, (TRAINED AS FIGHTER PILOTS) WERE SELECTED BY TROOP COMMAND AND TRANSFERRED TO COMISO, SICILY TO BE TRAINED AS C-47 PILOTS IN A SHORT TRAINING PERIOD. FIRST MISSION AS A C-47 PILOT WAS JUNE 30, 1944 WHEN DIRECTED TO PICK UP WOUNDED AT PALERMO, SICILY AND BACK ACROSS THE MEDITERRANEAN TO ALGIERS. DURING THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, FLEW TO BURMA, BACK TO SICILY, AND ON JULY 10, 1944 SQUADRON MOVED TO ROME AND REMAINED THERE UNTIL SEPTEMBER 7, 1944. ON SEPTEMBER 8, 1944, OPERATED OUT OF AN AIRFIELD IN ISTRES, FRANCE AND ON OCTOBER 11, 1944 RETURNED TO ROME. ON JANUARY 9, 1945, MOVED TO ROSIGNANO, NEAR FLORENCE, ITALY AND REMAINED THERE UNTIL MOVED ON MARCH 19, 1945 TO BRINDISI UNTIL RETURNING TO THE U.S. ON JUNE 30, 1945. SEPARATED FROM SERVICE NOVEMBER 15, 1945 AT BAER FIELD, FORT WAYNE, INDIANA. MEDALS: DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS WITH 3 BRONZE CLUSTERS, AMERICAN THEATRE CAMPAIGN, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATRE CAMPAIGN, WWII VICTORY.