2nd Lt. Pharis E. Weekley was a navigator in WWII on the B-24D, 42-40804, named, The Lady Jane, and, Bertha, flown by 1st Lt. William E. Meehan, Jr. in the 8th Air Force, the 93rd Bomb Group, and the 329th Bomb Squadron TDY to the 9th Bomber Command in Benghazi, Libya, for Operation Tidal Wave, to Ploesti, flying in the left wing position of the last flight, and the second section of “C Force. Briefed to bomb White lll, Lt. Meehan diverted to a target of opportunity, over Ploesti, was hit by flak and hit a barrage balloon cable, destroying his plane’s ability to fly. He was Killed in Action 1 August 1943 on the Ploesti mission with most of his crew, including Lt. Weekley, his navigator, after crashing in a field. Most of the crew could not be identified on sight and were buried in the Tablets Of The Missing at the Florence American Cemetary. Recently, with newer DNA identification techniques, Lt. Weekley’s remains were identified by the US Air Force and transported back to the U.S. for burial in America, the land Pharis Weekly loved, fought for, and gave his life for. KIA. 1 Aug 1943. 



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