Signature: Blumer, Larry

Assigned to the 393rd Fighter Squadron, 367th Fighter Group, Scrappy, nicknamed after his 'Scrap Iron' P-38, became one of the few fighter pilots to become an 'ace-in-a-day' when he shot down five FW-190s in 15 minutes of aerial combat on 25 August 1944. Scrappy rose to command the 393rd and destroyed another FW-190 before returning to the States in January 1945. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, Air Medal with 22 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Belgian Croix de Guerre. In 1946, he returned to the United States and became a contractor. Later in life, he purchased a P-38, painted it like his old plane, and flew it at air shows. Sadly Captain Larry Blumer died of Leukemia on October 23rd 1997 in Springfield, Oregon.