Biographies of
Jones Field Pilots

Following the outbreak of World War II and the entry into the conflict of the United States, Wallace A. Storey joined the US Army Air Force on August 13, 1942. Upon being called to active duty in February 1943, he went through pilot training in the Central Flying Training Command in Texas. Preflight was completed at San Antonio, Texas and Primary Flight Training at Jones Field, Bonham, Texas. After Basic Training at Perrin Field, Sherman, Texas and Advanced Training at Ellington Field, Houston, Texas, Aviation Cadet Storey graduated in Class 44C and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the US Army Air Force. Storey completed B-17 Flying Fortress Training at McDill Field, Tampa, Florida and was sent to England in June of 1944, joining the 8th Air Force. His service in the 8th was in the 545th Squadron of the 384th Bomb Group. His service there involved attacks on the V-1 sites in France, support of army and paratroop attacks in Operation Market Garden, the breakout at Metz, and during the Battle of the Bulge. The majority of his missions were against German Chemical and Synthetic Oil Refineries. Storey flew 16 missions as co-pilot and 19 as first pilot with the same crew. Upon return to the Zone of the Interior, Storey served in the Air Transport Command as a Ferry Pilot until the end of the War. Subsequent to active duty service, Storey served in the Air Force Reserve until retirement as a Lt/Col. in February of 1969.

George Andrew Davis. Jr.

George Andrew Davis, Jr., enlisted in the Air Corps, Army of the United States, at Lubbock, Texas, on 21 March 1942, and was appointed an Aviation Cadet on 3 June 1942, and completed the prescribed ground training course at Kelly Field, Texas, in August 1942. He transferred to the Primary Flying School, at Jones Field, Texas, and finished the course in October 1942, and then entered the Basic Flying School at Waco, Texas, finishing this course in December 1942. He transferred to the Advanced Flying School, Aloe Field, Texas. Upon completion of his pilot training he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant, Air Corps Reserve, on 16 February 1943, and rated pilot. After receiving his commission he was immediately called to active duty with the Air Corps and assigned as fighter pilot with the 312th Fighter Group. On 14 August 1943, he departed the United States by air for duty in the Asiatic-Pacific Theater of Operations. Upon arrival overseas he was assigned to the 342d Fighter Squadron, 348th Fighter Group, 5th Air Force, as fighter pilot. During his assignment from 30 August 1943 to 23 March 1945, he completed 266 combat missions for a total of 705 combat hours, destroyed seven enemy aircraft, and was awarded the Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster, and the Air Medal with eight Oak Leaf Clusters. He returned to the United States 3 May 1945, and received Student Flight Refresher Training at Goodfellow Field, Texas, from 19 June to 4 July 1945. From 5 July to 10 August 1945, he was assigned as Base Operations Officer at Goodfellow Field, Texas. On 11 August 1945, he transferred to the 556th Army Air Forces Base Unit, Long Beach, California; 7 September 1946, assigned to the 554th Army Air Forces Base Unit, Memphis, Tennessee; 6 January 1947, assigned to the 71st Fighter Squadron, 1st Fighter Group, at March Air Force Base, California, Griffiss Air Force Base, New York, and Greater Pittsburgh Airport, Coraopolis, Pennsylvania, until 16 September 1951. During this period he was assigned duties as Flight Commander, Air Inspector, and Jet Fighter Pilot. On 16 October 1951, he departed the United States for duty in the Far East. Upon arrival, he was assigned as Jet Fighter Pilot with Headquarters 4th Fighter-Interceptor Group from 23 October to 9 November 1951. On 10 November 1951, he was assigned as Squadron Commander of the 334th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron and served with this organization until 10 February 1952, the date of his death. Colonel Davis was killed in action on 10 February 1952 while serving as the pilot of an F-86 aircraft participating in a combat mission over North Korea. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for extraordinary heroism on 27 November 1951 in action near Sinanju, Korea, and the nation's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor, for conspicuous gallantry on 10 February 1952.

Charles R Barr

Charles R Barr was born July 26, 1921 in Columbus, Ohio. He entered service in September 1942 and served in the 448th CA BN (AA) at Ft. Bliss, Texas for six months. He transferred to Air Corps Cadet Program and took his Primary Flight training at Jones Field, Bonham, Texas. He took his basic training at Perrin Field, Sherman, Texas, then went onto advanced training at Eagle Pass Army AirField. Eagle Pass, Texas, where he graduated in Class 44-B in February, 1944. He was assigned to the 159th Liaison Squadron, 3rd Air Commando Group in May of 1944, which was at Statesboro, Ga. From there he moved to Cross City, Fl. and staged for overseas at Drew Field at Tampa, Fl. He departed from San Francisco aboard U.S.S. Hersey on November 7, 1944 He flew usual missions with 159th in the L-5 and C-64 aircraft. He also spent several months with Filipino guerillas at Luna, Luzon directing air strikes and participating in other supply and courier missions. He went to Okinawa with his squadron, and then to Japan. He departed Japan November 7, 1945 and left active duty in December 1945, but remained in the reserves until 1956. On June 8, 1946, he married Betty Grace Hodges of Statesboro, Ga. He attended Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. and graduated from Ohio State University in 1948. He has two sons, Charles R. Barr, Jr., an Air Force veteran, and R. Wade Barr, and five grandchildren. He retired from Union Camp Corporation in June 1984 after twenty-five years. He has stayed active in 159th's reunion group and enjoys keeping in contact with members of the squadron.

LT. WINTHROP A. JACKSON, Jr.

Winthrop A. Jackson Jr entered the Army in February 1941. He applied to the Aviation Cadet program, hoping to become a pilot. In November 1942, he received orders to proceed to the San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center, in San Antonio, Texas for evaluation and testing. In December 1942, he was accepted for flight training. That same month (Dec. 1942), he began primary flight training in Fairchild PT-19 Cornells at Jones Field, in Bonham, Texas. On January 4, 1943, he soloed in a PT-19 at Jones Field. In February 1943, he completed primary flight training. He then began basic flight training at Perrin Field, Sherman, Texas, flying in Consolidated-Vultee BT-13 Valiants, also known as the "Vultee Vibrator". Basic training was completed in April 1943. He began Advanced (multi-engine) training at Lubbock Army airfield, (Lubbock, Texas), flying in Cessna AT-17 Bobcats and Curtiss AT-9 Jeeps. While at Lubbock, he met Dorothy Sebring Case at a USO show. He completed this training in June 1943. Total logged flight time for primary, basic, and advanced training was 207 hours. In July of 1943, he went to bomber transition training on the Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress. Transition training took place at Dalhart Army Air Base, Dalhart, Texas. During the transition training he was assigned to the 466th squadron of the 333rd Bomb Group. He became part of a new 10-man B-17 crew simply known as "Crew 131" at Dalhart and later as the "Clayton crew" in England. In the middle of all this training, he managed to marry Dorothy at the Dalhart Army Air Base Chapel on September 8th, 1943. It was a double wedding. After completing the B-17 training sometime in October of '43, the Clayton crew was assigned to the 384th Bomb Group, 544th squadron, then based at Grafton Underwood, England
with the 8th Air Force. On October 31, 1943, the Clayton crew hopped a train traveling from Dalhart Army Air Base to their port of embarkation (New York City). There, they boarded the ocean liner Queen Mary and arrived in England at the beginning of November 1943. In December 1943, Lt. Jackson turned 28 - older than the average pilot. By 18 May 1945, 1st Lt. Winthrop A. Jackson Jr. had accumulated a total of 395 hours of logged flight time in B-17s. As a co-

pilot, he logged 354 hours. As first pilot, he logged 41 hours. Total logged combat flight time was 146 hours in 23 missions. As co-pilot, he logged 128 hours. As first pilot, he logged 18 hours. He received the Air Medal on his 5th mission, a rough, Pathfinder-led mission to Brunswick, Germany. The Brunswick area of Germany was strongly protected by many flak guns and on-call fighter protection. On May 8th, 1944 he was severely wounded. He spent 9 months convalescing in a hospital in England. A Purple Heart and permanently embedded shrapnel were just a few of the reminders of that mission. A number of operations were performed to remove shrapnel and repair tissue, but the doctors did not remove all the metal. He was later assigned to "H" Company of the 307 Station Hospital, a U.S. Army Rehabilitation Center 'somewhere in England". He supervised the repair and modification of aircraft electronic equipment such as Automatic Direction Finder (ADF) systems. During this time, he was promoted to 1st Lieutenant. As he approached the end of his convalescence, he knew he must appear before a psychological review board to be evaluated as to his future. He did not want to go back into bombers. He was tired of being shot at. He wanted to go into fighters, particularly P-51s. In fact, the former commander of the 384th, Col. Bud Peaslee was leading a P-51 Scout outfit based in England at this time. He went before the psychological review board. The review board did not agree. They decided that he was unfit for combat. In February 1945, he was shipped back to the USA where he tested aircraft and equipment at Eglin Field, Florida. He resigned his commission in August 1945. During his wartime service, 1st Lieutenant Winthrop A. Jackson Jr. was awarded the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart. The European air war was costly. Although Lt. Winthrop A. Jackson Jr. survived the war with wounds, one member of the original 10-man Clayton crew did not. Another crewmember was wounded. 30% casualties in 5 and 1/2 months of combat. From 1942 to 1945, the Eighth Air Force in England lost over 4,000 bombers and 2,000 fighters. Well over 40,000 airmen were killed or missing in action. LT. WINTHROP A. JACKSON, Jr. died in January 1991 after a long battle with cancer.