Captain Alex Sears. Alex was rated a pilot and commissioned a 2nd Lt. on 5 December 1943 when he was 21 years old. He scored five aerial victories with the 487th FS, 352nd FG. Captain Sears was with the 3545th PTW based at Goodfellow AFB, Texas when was killed in a T-6G 49-3216 on 22 October 1951. During WWII Alex was awarded the Distinguished Flying cross with Oak Leaf Cluster and the Air Medal with 10 Oak Leaf Clusters. He scored his final victory on New Year's Day 1945 when he shot down an Me-109 during "Operation Bodeplatte". For Bluenosers the battle was called "The Legend of Y-29". He also had a single ground victory. Photo credit 352nd FG Association.