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| Captain Norman McDonald served with the 355th Fighter Group in Europe. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/18078368/norman-eubanks-mcdonald http://www.americanairmuseum.com/unit/298 |
Norman Eubanks "Bob" McDonald never had a chance to reach 100 years old today. Instead, he sacrificed his life for our freedom.
He was born on July 7, 1919 in Texas. His parents Jacob and Ella were born in Mississippi and Georgia, respectively. His father worked as a farmer. Bob had four older brothers, four older sisters, a younger sister, and two younger brother, for a total of 12 children. By 1940 Bob had completed one year of college.
He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on April 30, 1941. By December he received his wings. He became a P-51 Mustang pilot and captain in the 354th Fighter Squadron, 355th Fighter Group. The 355 FG was originally equipped with P-47 Thunderbolts but they were replaced by P-51s in the spring of 1944. For the most part its main role was escorting American bombers on missions to continental Europe. On D-Day it provided fighter cover for the Allied landings on Normandy.
Captain McDonald was killed in an accident on October 20, 1944 at Steeple Morden, England, while landing his plane.
Ironically, on the very same day that Captain McDonald was killed, the Brownsville Herald ran the following article:
His grave is at Murphree Cemetery in Hamilton County, Texas.
WILLIAM KUNSTLER
The radical civil rights lawyer William Kunstler was also born on July 7, 1919. Growing up in New York, he graduated from Yale College in 1941. Kunstler served in army in the Pacific Theater during World War 2. He reached the rank of major and earned the Bronze Star.
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| https://www.pbs.org/pov/disturbingtheuniverse/video-disturbingtheuniverse-disturbing-the-universe-the-terrible-myth/ |
Kunstler died in 1995.
Last year on this date I profiled George Williams, 6th Marine Division. You can read about George 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
Capt. McDonald, and other great hero from the greatest generation. Thank God that we had such man at that time in our country. We owe much to them all! We are sorry for them, and for their families that had to live without them in their lives!
ReplyDeleteHow is it that the infamous William Kunstler, who did not die in World War II (as Don Milne's article makes clear) and who's known primarily for defending anti-American people and organizations during the 1960s and 1970s, deserves being honored on a site supposedly ("WW2 Fallen 100") devoted to those Americans who gave their lives in World War II? I'm hoping, Don Milne, that this homage to Kunstler is the result of your website getting hacked, rather than something you intended.
ReplyDeleteGary, I am not a fan of William Kunstler. In profiling the WW2 fallen, I will also mention prominent people who served in the war and did come home to make a mark in society. It is a way to reflect that those who did not make it home never had the same opportunity. I don't know what Kunster did to warrant the rank of major during the war or earn a Bronze Star but it was normally awarded from some level of valor. I would probably be 100% opposed to Kunstler's politics, but our US Constitution allows for radicals like Kunster to practice law in the defense of low lifes.
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