Melvin F Larson
Military
388th BG - 560th BS
Object Number - UPL 43794 - SSGT Melvin F. Larson with his bride Gladys at their wedding in Thetford, England, 14 October 1944 388th BG - 560th BS
Connections
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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
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 388th Bomb Group 560th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 388th Bomb Group 560th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-799790
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 388th Bomb Group 560th Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 388th Bomb Group 562nd Bomb Squadron
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Co-Pilot
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 388th Bomb Group 560th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-747464
- Highest Rank: First Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Blind Date
- Unit: 388th Bomb Group 560th Bomb Squadron
![A B-17 Flying Fortress (serial number 42-30214) nicknamed "Iza Angel" of the 388th Bomb Group in flight, 14 September 1943. Handwritten caption on reverse: '14/9/43 C. 384. B-17. 230214 'Iza Angel' 388BG.' On reverse: Stewart P. Evans [Stamp].](https://assets.americanairmuseum.com/s3fs-public/styles/teaser_thumb_x2/public/freeman/media-413950.jpg.webp?itok=FGtG7LVK)
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Iza Angel II
- Unit: 388th Bomb Group 802nd Reconnaissance Group (SP) 560th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Olin's 69ers, Gremlin Gus II
- Unit: 388th Bomb Group 560th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Unit: 388th Bomb Group 560th Bomb Squadron
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: Millie K
- Unit: 388th Bomb Group 560th Bomb Squadron
Places
- Site type: Airfield
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Worcester, MA | 8 March 1921 | |
|
Other 388th BG Combat Tour |
Knettishall Airfield, UK | 29 November 1943 - 8 July 1944 | Completed a 30 combat missions. His original crew (Norman Kempton) was shot down without him on 5 Jan 1944 forcing him to complete his tour as a replacement gunner/togglier with 10+ different crews. |
|
Other Married |
Thetford, UK | 14 October 1944 | Married his English bride, Gladys |
|
Died |
Snohomish County, WA | 13 November 2008 | Melvin F. Larson was born in Worchester MA, on March 8, 1921. A promising student who intended on becoming a surgeon at Tufts University, Melvin instead went to work to help support his family during the Great Depression. He volunteered for the Army Air Corps after the start of WWII. From November 1943 to July 1944 he flew 30 combat missions as a bombardier on B-17s with the 8th Air Force in England. His service in WWII earned him the Air Medal with three oak leaf clusters, the French Croix de Guerre, and the Distinguished Flying Cross. His combat career is detailed in the book GI Joe in France by J.E. Kauffman, published this year. On October 14, 1944, Melvin married his wife Gladys in Thetford, England. Their union lasted for 64 years. After WWII, Melvin served for 23 years in the US Air Force in bases across the globe. He was a Mason for 50 years. After the Air Force, Melvin put 15 years in the Post Office. During that time he earned a paralegal degree from Edmonds Community College. Later he would be ordained as first a deacon and then a priest in the Anglican faith, and earned his Bachelor of Religion from Geneva Theological College, NC, in 1983. As a member of the Free Protestant Episcopal Church, he rose to the position of Archbishop. He received his Doctor of Divinity degree from the FPEC Theological University in Bien, Switzerland, and eventually retired from ecclesiastical work as Archbishop Emeritus. Melvin is survived by his wife, Gladys; and their four children, each born in a different part of the world, six grandchildren, nine great-grandchildren, and his sister, Beverly. Melvin died at peace on November 13, 2008. He was laid to rest at Floral Hills Cemetery in Lynnwood, WA. |
|
Buried |
Lynwood, WA | 17 November 2008 | Floral Hills Cemetery Lynnwood, Snohomish County, Washington |
Revisions
Contributor466thHistorian
Changes
ContributorAAM
Changes
Sources
2010.0418.0055 / Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia
