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| Lt. Cdr. Henry Graham, flew Corsairs for VFB-83. The above painting is by Charles Thompson. https://usnamemorialhall.org/index.php/HENRY_F._GRAHAM,_LCDR,_USN http://www.asaa-avart.org/exhibits_forums/images/2011%20500x500/Thompson._BUDDIES.jpg |
Henry F. Graham never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on December 10, 1917 in New York. His mother Johanna was also born in New York and his father Henry was born in Massachusetts. His mother's parents were from Germany and his father's parents were from Ireland. His father worked as a steamship company auditor and later as a railroad auditor. Henry had a younger brother. By 1940 Henry was a midshipman at the US Naval Academy and graduated that year.
He became a carrier based pilot. I was not able to find his service record for the first part of the war. By April of 1945 Graham had advanced to the rank of lieutenant commander and flew F4U Corsairs for VFB-83, most likely from the carrier USS Essex. Essex was part of the naval support in the Battle of Okinawa. His plane was shot down on April 11, 1945. His remains were never recovered. After his death, Lt. Cdr. Graham was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Lt. Cdr. Graham is memorialized at the Honolulu Memorial.
Thanks to Darillyn Lamb Starr for recommending that Henry be profiled.
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.
Join the public Facebook group WW2 Fallen 100
From Mark Herber via Allied Warbirds and Pilots of WWII Facebook group:
ReplyDeleteAccording to the VBF-83 war history, Lt. Cdr. Graham was credited with two shootdowns in 17 combat missions. Fold3 lists his two victories were claimed on 04/06/45, where Graham destroyed to Tony's [sic?]. FWIW, 04/06/45 was Essex's greatest day in aerial combat--a day in which CVG-83 claimed the destruction of 69 Japanese aircraft, with one loss.
The Graham family was very close to my father's family. His Mother and my Grandmother were best friends and he was two years older than my father. His father died of a heart attack as they were preparing to drive to Annapolis. His younger brother Larry died in a hunting accident in 46 or 47. His mother (who became an "aunt" to us growing up) died in 1964. I remember her crying at a Memorial Day ceremony and that was the first time I realized Memorial Day was not about a parade. I was told that Henry was stationed on the Arizona when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He married a girl from Hawaii and they had twin sons - she died in childbirth or shortly after. After Henry's death the boys were adopted.
ReplyDeleteHenry had one son. The twins were born to his brother Larry (whose wife died in childbirth).
DeleteWould you like to see Lt. Cdr. Graham's story added to the www.storiesbehindthestars.org project? don@storiesbehindthestars.org
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