Percy O'Quinn served as a fighter pilot with the 359th Fighter Squadron of the 356th Fighter Group, flying missions out of Martlesham Heath between August 1944 and the end of the war. He flew 36 missions in total, many of which were in support of the Battle of the Bulge.



On 12 December 1944, the engine in O'Quinn's aircraft caught fire 20 miles east of Manston, Kent and he had to bail out. He was picked up from the freezing waters by the crew that made 277 Squadron's 598th and final rescue. They were Flight Officer C.G. Walker, Flight Lieutenant C.G. Robertson and Flight Sergeant W. Shaw. The sea was too rough for them to take off so they had to taxi back to shore. Of the three, only Shaw survived the war.



Peter had named P-51D 44-15230 after his wife, Lillie Mae. They were married for 72 years, until she passed away a couple of years ago.



He is a petroleum engineering graduate of Texas A&M University and lives in Midland, Texas.