George A. Whiteman |
Bellows Field |
Smith-Cotton High School World War II Casualties Whiteman Air Force Base (Click on star to access information) |
Name: George Allison Whiteman Rank: Lieutenant Service Branch: Army Date of Birth: October 12, 1919 Date of Death: December 7, 1941 George enlisted in the army on October 20, 1939. He was assigned to the Eighteenth Pursuit Group, Forty-Fourth Pursuit Squadron at Wheeler Field on Oahu. On December 7, 1941 George was killed in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. When he went up in his plane, he was spotted immediately by two Japanese fighters. At least two, if not three, enemy planes opened fire on him. He was hit by enemy fire and attempted to make a belly-landing. His plane crashed and burned. George died in the fire. On October 1, 1955, the name of the Sedalia Air Force Base in Knob Noster, Missouri, was changed to Whiteman Air Force Base, and on December 3, a dedication ceremony was held. Two weeks later, on December 17, a special group of dignitaries was invited to a "briefing and orientation" at the base. |
