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U.S. Army. Via ibiblio.org
"Blondie" Saunders was present with 23 Bombardment Squadron when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor and participated in the early campaigns in the Central and South Pacific. He was awarded the Navy Cross for successfully ditching his badly damaged aircraft at sea during a raid on Buin.
Saunders served briefly as a deputy Chief of Staff for the Army Air Forces before organizing 58 Bombardment Wing, the first B-29 wing. He subsequently commanded 20 Bomber Command in its first missions from bases in India, pending the arrival of his friend Curtis LeMay, but was severely injured
in an air accident that crushed his ankle and confined him to a
hospital for more than two years. Part of his leg had to be amputated,
and he was medically retired in 1947.
Saunder's nickname, as was so often the case, was
ironic: He had coal-black hair. He had served as a football coach at
West Point for eight years, from 1931 to 1939.
| 1903-3-21 |
Born at Stratford, South Dakota |
|
| 1924 |
Graduates from University of South Dakota |
|
| 1928-6-9 |
Second lieutenant |
Graduates from West Point |
| 1929-6 |
Completes flight training |
|
| 1929-10 |
40 School Squadron |
|
| 1930-8 |
23 Bombardment Squadron |
|
| 1931 |
Assistant football coach, West Point |
|
| 1939-12 |
Major |
Commander, 23 Bombardment Squadron |
| 1941 |
Commander, 12 Bombardment Group |
|
| 1942-3 |
Colonel |
Commander, 11 Bombardment Group |
| 1942-12 |
Brigadier general | Deputy chief of staff, U.S. Army Air Forces |
| 1943-8 |
Staff, 58 Bombardment Wing |
|
| 1944-3 |
Commander, 58 Bombardment Wing |
|
| 1944-7-6 |
Commander, 20 Bomber Command |
|
| 1944-8-29 |
Severely injured in air accident |
|
| 1947-2-28 |
Retired |
|
| 1988-11-16 |
Dies |
References
Generals.dk (accessed 2013-11-11)
U.S. Air Force (accessed 2013-11-11)
VeteranTributes.org (accessed 2013-11-13)
The Pacific War Online Encyclopedia © 2013 by Kent G. Budge. Index
