Francis Stephen Bodine
Military
Object Number - UPL 24755 - Francis S Bodine
Francis Bodine served as a pilot with the 489th Bomb Group, flying B-24 Liberators out of Halesworth, England. He flew his first mission on 31 May 1944. In November 1944, after earning the Distinguished Flying Cross and flying 23 missions, he was sent back to the States to train as a B-29 pilot. The war in the Pacific ended before he was deployed. He stayed in the Air Force and flew 65 missions in the Korean War.
His name is on the Wall of Honor at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum. They give a full biography for him on their website: https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/francis-stephen-bodine
Connections
See how this entry relates to other items in the archive by exploring the connections below.
Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 845th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Role/Job: Gunner
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 845th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Technical Sergeant
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 846th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group 844th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Bombardier
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 489th Bomb Group
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-24 Liberator
- Nicknames: Special Delivery
- Unit: 445th Bomb Group 466th Bomb Group 489th Bomb Group
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Holton
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Voltaire, ND 58792, USA | 3 August 1920 | Parents:Francis and Elizabeth (Grossman) Bodine |
|
Enlisted |
Fargo, ND, USA | 15 March 1941 | Rank: Aviation Cadet, Regular Army |
|
Other Married Virginia Kletzin |
27 August 1949 | Wedding at Church of St. Albert the Great with reception at the Officer's Club, Ft. Snelling | |
|
Died |
Minnetonka, Minnesota | 14 August 2016 | |
|
Buried |
Minneapolis, Minnesota | 19 August 2016 | Fort Snelling National Cemetery Section 12, Plot 253 |
| McHenry County, ND, USA |
Revisions
In duplicate record, Francis Bodine was listed as a member of 844th Bomb Squadron. Source:
489th Bomb Group Roster / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia
See also:
NARA enlistment record: https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&cat=all&tf…
https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/francis-stephen-bodine
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / SECOND AIR DIVISION by Turner Publishing Company, D790.A2S45, 1998, page 212; Charles H. Freudenthal photo collection
