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Harold Ozmun was a P-61 Black Widow radar operator in the Pacific Theater.
P61 photo source: http://www.warbirdsresourcegroup.org/URG/units_419th_Night_Fighter_Squadron.html
Other photos are from contributor Chris Prough |
Harold Edgar Ozmun never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on December 15, 1918 in Hobart, Oklahoma. His father, William, was born in Oklahoma, and his mother, Marie, was born in Iowa. His father worked as a travelling automotive parts salesman. Harold had six siblings: one older sister, Edith, two younger sisters, Billie and Dorothy, one younger brother, RV, and, by 1940, twin younger sisters, Bobbie and Betty.
By early 1942, Harold was working at the Vega Aircraft Corporation in Burbank, CA. He signed his draft paperwork in 1940, and was subsequently drafted in 1942.
2nd Lt Harold Ozmun completed his training as a P-61 Black Widow radar operator and was assigned to the 419th Night Fighter Squadron, XIII Fighter Command, flying out of Sansapor Airfield, Papau New Guinea.
In the early morning hours of October 18, 1944, Lt Ozmun's P-61 Black Widow night interceptor (S/N 42-5515 – Nose #316) had just landed after pursuing aircraft through most of the night. At 4:40 am, as it taxied onto the airfield, another intruder alert came over the radio.
Per protocol, Captain Howard Daniels, 2nd Lt Harold Ozmun, and Sgt William W. Yahn, could have easily disembarked from their aircraft and awakened the next crew to take to the skies in pursuit. Instead, they chose to taxi back down the runway, in pursuit of the intruder - never to be heard from again.
As Harold is one of the 47,000 plus still missing in the Pacific Theater of Operations, there is no grave. Instead, he is memorialized on The Tablets Of the Missing, Manilla.
On a personal note, 2nd Lt Harold Ozmun is my paternal grandmother’s younger brother. Edith, the oldest sibling from the Ozmun family out of Cushing, Oklahoma, finally got to meet her brother again for the first time after seventy-four years just three months ago. She was 102 years old. Only the youngest of the seven siblings, Betty, still lives.
I think the reason why this blog resonates with me is this. My father, Harold Prough, born in 1937, was named after his 19 year old uncle. An uncle that was very much alive at the time of my father’s birth. As I helped Don with just a scant few of these profiles this fall, it hit me very hard. The stories of “them” are no longer there. Dad heard many a story of his uncle Harold in the 40s and 50s. By the time I came around in 1967, I occasionally heard, but the details were gone. By now, almost eight decades later, I scour the internet for hours to tell you of just the bare details of a life cut so short.
His story either gets written into the digital format of today – or it ceases to exist for all time.
A few years back, before I ever found this blog, I went in search of something as simple as the date of Harold’s birth. Lost for years to the current generation. Now, I know to look on Ancestry or Findagrave. And yet, the digital footprint that we all have come to just expect – is just not there!
If you wish to read of my quest to find that elusive birthdate, read the link below.
I would like to thank Don for agreeing almost a year ago to allow me to write the tribute when the day came for Harold’s 100th. It means a lot to remember him in this way.
At the end of the day, my great uncle, Harold, is but 1/100th of just one Gold Star – out of over 4,000 gold stars at the WW2 Memorial in Washington DC. Don allowing me to “remember” him today is fitting and deserved.
Thank you Uncle Harold for your sacrifice. Let's
Earn It for 2nd Lt Harold Ozmun.
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This profile was researched and written by Chris Prough - "Father of eight children, just celebrated his 30th anniversary with his lovely wife Susanne. Lives in Mount Pleasant, IA, where there are no mountains and the jury is still out on the whole "pleasant" thing. Lover of history since a child. I believe in this endeavor as my own great uncle, Harold Ozmun, will be featured December 15. Many thanks to Don for affording me the privilege to help him out."
Last year on this date I profiled James Conover, 34th Infantry Division. You can read about James 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!
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