TFH 8/18: Major Ralph Cheli, USAAF

Ralph Cheli (pronounced "Kelly") was born on October 29, 1919 in San Francisco, California. He later lived in Brooklyn, New York, and studied engineering at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania as a member of the class of 1941. He didn't graduate though, choosing to leave school in February 1940 to join the United States Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet.

He received his wings and a commission as a Second Lieutenant in November 1940 and was trained as a pilot for the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. With the United States' entry into World War II and the ramping up of the United States Army Air Forces for global combat, Cheli first found himself flying anti-submarine patrols in the Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

After promotions to First Lieutenant and Captain in early 1942, he was transferred to Barksdale Field in Louisiana (today's Barksdale Air Force Base) and assigned as the operations officer for the 405th Bombardment Squadron (nicknamed the "Green Dragons") of the 38th Bombardment Group - a new North American B-25 Mitchell unit that was being formed.

TFH 8/15 and 8/30: First Lieutenant Kenneth A. Walsh, USMC

Kenneth Ambrose Walsh was born on November 24, 1916 in Brooklyn, New York. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps at age 17 on December 15, 1933. Walsh was trained as an aviation mechanic and radioman. While still an enlisted man, he received flight training and earned his "Wings of Gold" as a Naval Aviator in 1937. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, he was one of the more experienced Marine aviators and was a Technical Sergeant flying with Marine Fighting Squadron 121 (VMF-121).

Walsh was promoted to Warrant Officer in May of 1942, and later received a full commission when promoted to Second Lieutenant. He was reassigned to Marine Fighting Squadron 124 (VMF-124). VMF-124 was the first USMC squadron to field the Vought F4U Corsair fighter. The squadron was also one of the few Marine aircraft carrier-capable units of the day, and Walsh was one of the few Marine officers qualified as a carrier Landing Signal Officer (LSO).

VMF-124 deployed to Guadalcanal in February 1943 and flew and fought during the Solomon Islands Campaign. Walsh achieved "ace" status by shooting down five enemy planes by mid-May 1943. For two instances of aerial combat where he faced numerically superior enemy opposition on August 15 and 30, 1943, he received our Nation's highest honor.

TFH 8/12: Lance Corporal Kenneth L. Worley, USMC

Kenneth Lee Worley was born on April 27, 1948 in Farmington, New Mexico. He was orphaned during his early teens, and later lived with an aunt in California. Worley's living conditions were impoverished and he left school to work as a truck driver in agriculture. After suffering a workplace injury, he was taken in by Don and Rose Feyerherm of Modesto; they became his surrogate family.

Worley volunteered and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps on July 14, 1967. After completing recruit and advanced infantry training, he was posted to the 3rd Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment for combat with the 1st Marine Division in Vietnam. Prior to leaving for war, he was promoted to Private First Class.

He arrived in Vietnam on November 24, 1967. He served as a rifleman and with the battalion headquarters and was promoted to Lance Corporal on May 1, 1968. On August 12, 1968 - 45 years ago today - he was a machine gunner with Company L of 3/7 Marines. His unit was secure for the night in an occupied house when the Marines were awakened with an alarm call that an enemy infiltrator had thrown grenades into the building. One landed near Lance Corporal Worley, and he placed his body between the explosive and his comrades, and thus received our Nation's highest honor.

TFH 8/5: PVT James W. Reese, USA

In the closing days of July 1943, the Allied forces on Sicily had pounded the remaining German and Italian enemy defenders back to the mountainous region surrounding Mount Etna and from there, back towards Messina. The Nazis and their fascist Italian cohorts dug themselves in deep. If they had a hope of surviving the Allied onslaught, they would have to make their stand on the high ground.

James William Reese was born in 1920 at Chester, PA. He was drafted into the United States Army in November 1941, right before the United States' entry into World War II. He was part of the 1st Infantry Division's 26th Infantry Regiment, and fought with the division in North Africa before the Sicily Campaign.

On July 31, 1943, the US II Corps (the 1st Infantry Division and the 9th Infantry Division), Lieutenant General Omar Bradley commanding, began their assault on the city of Troina. The city was defended by the German 16th Panzergrenadier Division and the Italian 28th Infantry Division Aosta. Resse's regiment was given the assignment of flanking the city and cutting off the enemy's escape route.

As it happens, it would be the Americans who would get cut off.

TFH 8/1 Flight 4: Colonel John R. Kane and "Hail Columbia"

John Riley Kane was born in McGregor, Texas on January 5, 1907. He graduated from Baylor University and later joined the United States Army Air Corps in 1931 as an aviation cadet. He earned his pilot's wings and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in 1932. He was one of the more experienced pilots with the United States Army Air Forces as they ramped up for a long war.

He arrived overseas for combat in the Europe, Africa, and Middle East theaters in July 1942. Over the next year, he flew 43 combat missions against the Nazi Germans and their allies and became the commander of the 98th Bombardment Group (Heavy). The group styled themselves as the "Pyramiders", as they were based in Egypt.

The 98th's success and tenacity in combat were well known to the enemy. In fact, German military intelligence tagged their commander by the nickname by which he'd be known for the rest of the war: "Killer Kane".

Kane, the 98th Bombardment Group, and their Consolidated B-24D Liberators were selected for Operation TIDAL WAVE, the attack on critical petroleum industries and infrastructure surrounding Ploesti, Romania on August 1, 1943 - seventy years ago today.

TFH 8/1 Flight 3: Colonel Leon W. Johnson, USAAF aboard "Suzy Q"

Leon William Johnson was born on September 13, 1904 in Columbia, Missouri. He graduated from the United States Military Academy, West Point with the class of 1926 and commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. He opted to become part of the Army Air Corps and later earned a master's degree in meteorology from Cal Tech.

In 1942 as the then United States Army Air Forces were establishing themselves in Britain for action against Nazi Germany, Johnson was one of the first flying officers of the nascent Eighth Air Force and spent time as a staff officer planning missions and tactics for bombing strikes against military and industrial targets in Germany and occupied Europe.

Johnson was given command of the 44th Bombardment Group (Heavy) in January 1943. In June 1943, the group was detached from the Eighth Air Force to reinforce the Ninth Air Force in North Africa and the Mediterranean for Operation TIDAL WAVE, the planned attack on petroleum refineries and infrastructure vital to the Nazi war machine surrounding Ploesti, Romania.

TFH 8/1 Flight 2: Second Lieutenant Lloyd H. Hughes, USAAF and "Ole Kickapoo"

Lloyd Herbert Hughes was born in Alexandria, Louisiana on July 12, 1921. His family returned to his mother's native Texas not long afterwards, and he grew up and graduated from high school in the town of Refugio in 1939. Hughes, known as "Pete" to friends, attended Texas A&M University where he studied petroleum engineering. He heard his nation's call not long after the attack on Pearl Harbor and enlisted on January 28, 1942 and accepted into the United States Army Air Forces as an aviation cadet.

He married the former Miss Hazel Dean Ewing on November 8, 1942 and had his pilot's wings pinned on two days later. Hughes was assigned to the 564th Bombardment Squadron of the 389th Bombardment Group (Heavy), flying the Consolidated B-24D Liberator. The group was posted to North Africa in June 1943 and he flew during five combat missions in June and July.

On Sunday, August 1, 1943, he and his crew boarded B-24D serial number 42-40753, named Ole Kickapoo, for the attack on the oil refineries surrounding Ploesti, Romania - operation TIDAL WAVE.

TFH 8/1 Flight 1: Lieutenant Colonel Addison E. Baker, Major John L. Jerstad, and "Hell's Wench"

Hell's Wench was the name given to Consolidated B-24D Liberator 42-40994 by her aircraft commander and commanding officer of the 93rd Bombardment Group (Heavy), Lieutenant Colonel Addison E. Baker. Baker was born on January 11, 1907 in Chicago. He joined the United States Army in 1929 and entered the Air Corps. He earned his pilot's wings and an officer's commission in 1931.

Lieutenant Colonel Baker took his B-24 to the skies on August 1, 1943 as the lead ship of his 37 bomber group for Operation TIDAL WAVE - the first large scale bombing attack by the United States Army Air Forces on Nazi controlled petroleum refineries surrounding Ploesti, Romania.

In the co-pilot's seat next to him was Major John L. Jerstad, born February 12, 1918 in Racine, Wisconsin. Major Jerstad began his service as an aviation cadet on July 12, 1941 and was rapidly promoted as the United States plunged into World War II and our armed forces grew exponentially for wartime.

Jerstad didn't need to take to the skies that day; he had already completed the 25 combat missions of a tour of duty and wasn't even officially part of the 93rd Bombardment Group anymore. He didn't want to pass up the chance to be a part of the strike against the most important target in Europe, and volunteered to go.

Tidal Wave: The Raid on Ploesti

Ploesti, Romania (correctly spelled Ploiești, but I will use the common spelling as found in most World War II histories) is, to this day, a center for petroleum production and refining. The first large oil refinery in the world was opened there in 1856-57. Foreign producers, including John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil built and operated facilities there.

Nazi Germany gained control of most of Romania and the Ploesti oil production facilities in 1941. As Germany had little petroleum production of its own, the strategic significance of the city's resources couldn't be underestimated. By the middle of 1943, Germany was consuming up to 22 million tons of oil, but was only bringing in 14 million tons. If the Ploesti facilities could be severely damaged or destroyed, the war in Europe would assuredly be shortened by months and tens of thousands of lives might be saved.

As the war progressed into the summer of 1943, the United States Army Air Forces - progenitor of today's United States Air Force - prepared to execute the first large scale bombing raid against the Ploesti refineries. Five heavy bomber groups would be used, flying from bases in North Africa.

The plan was called Operation TIDAL WAVE. It was scheduled for a Sunday: August 1, 1943 - seventy years ago today. The men who flew the mission and survived came to know their attack on Ploesti by a much grimmer name:

Black Sunday.

TFH 7/31: PVT Rodger W. Young, USA

Rodger Wilton Young was was born on April 28, 1918 in Tiffin, Ohio. He grew up in Clyde, Ohio. Young was a small man, only reaching 5 feet, 2 inches in adulthood. While a student, he was a tenacious if not gifted athlete. During a basketball game, he suffered a head injury that would plague his vision and hearing for the rest of his life. His failing eyesight and hearing led him to drop out of high school after his sophomore year because he couldn't hear his teachers well or make out what was on the blackboards.

In order to earn some extra money, Young enlisted in the Ohio National Guard in 1938 and was accepted. He was placed as an infantryman with Company B, 1st Battalion, 148th Infantry Regiment as part of the 37th Infantry Division. Despite his vision and hearing problems, Young excelled as a soldier and had reached the rank of Corporal and was a marksmanship instructor when the 37th Infantry Division was federalized for potential war service with the United States Army in October 1940.

TFH 7/29: 2LT Robert S. Scott, USA

Robert Sheldon Scott was born in our nation's capital on November 30, 1913. He grew up in New Mexico, graduating from the University of New Mexico in 1937. He was drafted into the United States Army in September 1941. Thanks to his education, he was enrolled in Officer Candidates' School and was ultimately commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the infantry branch.

Lieutenant Scott was assigned as a rifle platoon leader with Company C, 1st Battalion, 172d Infantry Regiment which was part of the 43d Infantry Division, a National Guard unit federalized for war service from Connecticut, Maine, and Vermont. The division arrived for action in the South Pacific in October 1942 and saw their first heavy combat during the New Georgia Campaign in the summer of 1943.

Seventy years ago today, Lieutenant Scott led his platoon against a Japanese hilltop strongpoint near the Munda Airstrip, which had to be captured. When the lead element's attack bogged down and they began to withdraw, he advanced alone. At that moment, the Japanese counter-attacked and it was up to Scott fighting alone to hold them off.

TFH 7/28: 2d Lt. John C. Morgan, USAAF

John Cary Morgan was born on August 24, 1914 in Vernon, Texas. He graduated from a military school in 1931 and bounced between colleges and universities until 1934 when he dropped out. During his college days though, he did learn to fly. Into 1938, he was working in the Fiji Islands on a pineapple plantation. Later in that year, he returned to the United States and tried to join the Army Air Corps as a flight cadet, but was rejected for his poor education record.

Morgan went to work for Texaco, and was injured in an accident that resulted in him being declared "4-F" - unfit for military service - by the Selective Service System. With the world at war in 1941, if his own country wouldn't take him for service, he decided to find one that would. He journeyed to Canada and was accepted into the Royal Canadian Air Force in August, 1941. Morgan was trained as a pilot, and saw action with the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command over Europe.

On March 23, 1943 he was transferred to the United States Army Air Forces and put on his own country's uniform. On July 28, 1943 he took off as the co-pilot of a Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress belonging to the 326th Bombardment Squadron of the 92nd Bombardment Group (Heavy). It was his fifth mission with the unit.

John Morgan's actions after his aircraft was heavily damaged by enemy fighters before reaching the target saw him decorated with our nation's highest honor. If you think his citation sounds like a movie excerpt, well, you'd be right.

TFH 7/27,29,31: PFC Frank J. Petrarca, USA

Frank Joseph Petrarca was born in Cleveland, Ohio on July 31, 1918. He joined the United States Army in October 1940 and was assigned as a medic in the 145th Infantry Regiment, part of the 37th Infantry Division. The 37th was part of the Ohio National Guard, and was activated for federal service as the United States prepared for possible involvement in World War II the same month.

The 37th Infantry Division deployed overseas for combat in the Pacific on May 26, 1942. The division first garrisoned Fiji, and then Guadalcanal after that island had been recaptured from the Japanese and secured. On July 20, 1943, the 37th landed on New Georgia in the Solomon Islands for their first combat action of the war.

On three different days at the end of July 1943, Private First Class Frank Petrarca repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fires and action to render aid to wounded men. He lost his life struggling to reach a fellow soldier, and as he succumbed to shrapnel wounds, hurled verbal insults at the enemy as he tried in vain to reach his comrade. A grateful nation decorated him posthumously with the Medal of Honor.

TFH 7/17: 1LT David C. Waybur, USA

David Crowder Waybur was born in Oakland, California in 1919. He enlisted in the United States Army on November 22, 1940. Before becoming a soldier, he was a grocery clerk and a ranch hand. By 1943 and the Allied invasion of Sicily, he had been commissioned as an officer and promoted to First Lieutenant. He was assigned to the 3rd Infantry Division.

On July 17, 1943 - seventy years ago to the day - Lieutenant Waybur commanded a motorized patrol to locate a Ranger unit that had become cut off. Advancing in darkness, the patrol was stopped at a knocked out bridge by four enemy tanks. Even though the small patrol was outnumbered and vastly outgunned, Waybur rallied his men, organized a defense, and when all their machine gun ammunition was expended, stood alone with just a Thompson submachine gun. His indomitable courage was recognized with the Medal of Honor.

TFH 7/11: 2LT Robert Craig, USA

Robert Craig was born in Scotland in 1919. He emigrated to the United States with his family; the Craigs settled in Toledo, Ohio. Robert enlisted in the United States Army on February 28, 1941 - before the United States entered World War II, and according to his enlistment record, before he became a citizen of the United States.

By 1943, he had been commissioned as an officer and was a Second Lieutenant with the 15th Infantry Regiment, part of the 3rd Infantry Division. At dawn on July 10, 1943, Lieutenant Craig stormed ashore with his unit in the Licata area on the Gulf of Gela during the Invasion of Sicily. The next day, an enemy machine gun had already wounded three of his company's officers when Craig volunteered to find it and silence it. Not long after, as the platoon he led was counter-attacked by an enemy as much as three times as large, he used himself as a diversion to allow his men to reach a hill crest. Lieutenant Craig's gallant self-sacrifice inspired his men and rallied them forward to route the superior force.

Lieutenant Craig posthumously received his adopted home's highest honor:

Ashore on Sicily: the main landing of Operation HUSKY

On April 30, 1943, British Intelligence launched one of the boldest military deception operations of all time: Operation MINCEMEAT. Its goal was to convince the Axis enemy that after North Africa, their next target would be anywhere except Sicily. In the pre-dawn hours of July 10, 1943, an Allied fleet transported the Seventh United States Army, Lieutenant General George S. Patton commanding, and the British Eighth Army, Lieutenant General Bernard Law Montgomery commanding, to their landing points on Sicily's southern point.

The Sicily attack was the largest amphibious operation ever attempted to that point in time. Seven Allied divisions, of a force totaling 12 divisions plus attached units, were to land on July 10th. The lives of thousands of men hung in the balance. Had the deception plan worked, or were the British and American soldiers about to hit the beach heading into prepared defenses that would chew them up and spit them out?

TFH 7/9-10: ENS John Joseph Parle, USNR

John Joseph Parle was born on May 26, 1920 in Omaha, Nebraska. He graduated from Creighton University in Omaha in 1942 and received and officer's commission in the United States Naval Reserve at that time. He served on active duty for World War II with the United States Navy's USS LST-375 (tank landing ships being built so numerous and so fast, they weren't named!).

On the night of July 9-10, 1943, LST-375 approached the shores of Sicily along with the rest of the Anglo-American invasion fleet for Operation HUSKY. With just hours before the assault forces would stream ashore, Ensign Parle was the officer in charge of the LST's small boats and landing craft. When a fire broke out among ammunition and explosives, Perle recognized quickly that an accidental explosion would both damage his ship, kill many of her crew and the soldiers she carried, and alert the enemy ashore to the impending attack. The 23-year old Nebraskan acted:

Operation HUSKY Kicks Off

In the evening hours of July 9, 1943, Allied forces under the overall command of United States' General Dwight D. Eisenhower were crossing the Mediterranean Sea from Africa and elsewhere for Operation HUSKY, the invasion of Sicily.

Around midnight local time, July 10 (about 6:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time, by present standards) British and American parachute and glider-borne forces began the first large-scale airborne operation for the Allies in the war. It turned out that they had a lot to learn about transporting men into combat that way.

The Hero of Asiana Flight 214

Yesterday (Saturday, July 6, 2013) saw what could have been a true civil aviation disaster: the crash of Asiana Airlines flight 214 from Shanghai, China to San Francisco, California, via Seoul, South Korea. There were 307 passengers and crew aboard the aircraft. 305 are alive today to tell the harrowing tale of the final moments of flight and their miraculous survival.

Two sadly perished. They were Chinese teenagers Wang Linjia and Ye Mengyuan, both just sixteen years old. The two young women were coming to the United States for summer camp, on what (I'm assuming) was their first visit to our country. If either of their families ever happen upon this post, I hope they accept my sincere sympathies. As many as 182 others were injured in the crash, some severely.

Known details and evidence available to this point points to pilot error as the cause of the accident. In fairness to the aircrew, the investigation is just beginning and they might be absolved. I'm not an expert, just a layman aviation fan. There was a hero yesterday, but it wasn't a human.

TFH 7/6: LCDR Bruce A. Van Voorhis, USN

Bruce Avery Van Voorhis was born on January 29, 1908 in Aberdeen, Washington and spent his childhood years in Nevada. He was appointed to the United States Naval Academy in 1925, and graduated with the class of 1929. His first assignment was to the USS Mississippi (BB-41), but he only spent about one year with the battleship before reporting to Naval Air Station Pensacola for training as a Naval Aviator.

After earning his "Wings of Gold" on September 3, 1931, Van Voorhis flew a variety of carrier-based and other aircraft, and served aboard and flew off off the USS Saratoga (CV-3), USS Ranger (CV-4), USS Yorktown (CV-5), and USS Enterprise (CV-6) before the United States entered World War II.