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| Sgt. Leonard McNeill was a B-29 tail gunner for the 500th Bombardment Group. He had a family with two children. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56125255/leonard-james-mcneill/photo https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56120405/raymond-carl-richmond |
Leonard James McNeil never had a chance to reach 101 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
(This profile was written at the request, and with the assistance, of his grandson - Michael James Krehl.)
Leonard was born on November 3, 1917 in Canada. His parents Willam and Margaret were also both born in Canada, according to US Census records. His father worked as a farmer and then as grocery store stock man after moving the family to Massachusetts in 1926. Leonard had one older brother and one younger sister. He completed four years of high school and moved to Florida in 1937.
While in Orlando, Florida, Leonard met and married Melba Culbreth in 1938. He worked as a soda clerk and bartender. Leonard and Melba had a daughter, a son, and a stepson.
He was drafted into the army on November 17, 1943. He volunteered for the Army Air Forces and became a sergeant and tail gunner in 881st Bombardment Squadron, 500th Bomb Group, which was equipped with B-29 Superfortresses. His crew left California on February 14, 1945 for its posting at Saipan.
On April 1, 1945 Sgt. McNeill's plane was part of an experimental night precision bombing mission where 35 B-29s were sent to bomb the Mushashino Aircraft Factory at Tokyo. Flying at no more than 4,500 and five minutes into the bomb-run, the bomber was hit by flak between engines 3 and 4. Moments later the fuselage was hit between the rear crew compartment and the tail. The fires spread so the pilot ordered the crew to bail. All ten of his crew parachuted out but the pilot, Lt. Ed Law, died at the controls when the B-29 exploded in the air.
Sgt. McNeil was captured and kept prisoner at Tokyo Military Prison. During a night firebombing raid on May 25-26 the America prisoners attempted to seek safer cover when their prison was hit by incendiary bombs. The guards prevented them from reaching safety, killing many of the 62 prisoners with swords. The executed prisoners were buried in a partial bomb shelter and not discovered until 1946. A 1948 trial found the guards guilty of murder.
Sgt. McNeil remains officially missing in action because his remains were never identified. His family is hopeful that with modern forensics, he will one day be found.
He is remembered at the Tablets of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial. His widow remarried and died in 1986 and his daughter Dorothy died in 1985. His son James is still alive.
Last year on this date I profiled Lt. Col. Percy McCarley, a West Point graduate who served in the 9th Infantry Division. You can read about Percy here.
On behalf of the fallen, if you would like to see more people become aware of this project to honor the WW2 fallen, be sure to share with others on Twitter, Facebook, etc. Thanks for your interest!
I created this video to explain why I started this project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXt8QA481lY.
Please consider joining the public Facebook group to increase the exposure of this project. Go to: WW2 Fallen 100
Thank you!
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