Edward W. Pleasant
EDWARD W. PLEASANT, born in
Colrain, Massachusetts on August 2,1923.
"Ed loved life, and lived it to the fullest!!"
He was an active sportsman who fished, ice
fished, hunted, raced ice boats, and sailed his
sloop up and down the East Coast and inland
lakes. . . but his foremost love was flying.
There he was, a kid, flying $400,000 worth
of bird, and back home his Father wouldn't
let him drive his $400 worth of automobile.
Ed said, "Up there, you had the world by the
arse!"
"The Mayor of Turners Falls" loved the
town and its people. Besides being an active
member of the VFW, (*Disabled American
Veterans) *DAV, American Legion, and Montague Elks, he was President of Pleasant
Insurance Agency, Commissioner of the
Water Dept. and of their industrial development group, and on the Board of Directors of two banks.
Ed enlisted in the Air Force, September
25, 1942. He flew P-47's with the 360th
Fighter Squadron of the 356th Fighter
Group, 8th Air Force. After a War Bond
Tour, Ed became chief test pilot on Jugs at
Dover Delaware until his discharge in 1945.
During the Korean War, back in service
Ed was active with the Atomic Energy Commission, first as assistant base operations Officer at Kirkland Air Force Base, then in
atomic tests at Indian Springs AFB, and last
at Eniwetok Atoll for a year as Base Commander while A-Bombs and the first
H-Bomb were tested.
During the war, flying his P-47 "Franny
Boy" (named after his younger brother),
Major Ed shot down 5 German Fighters,
claimed 14 probables and damaged a further
nine.
In addition to the Distinguished Flying
Cross, he also was awarded the Air Medal,
with 6 Oak Clusters, for "Meritorious service
in Aerial Flight over enemy occupied:
Europe." and was one of the youngest Aces in
the European Theater. He received 11 Medals for personal action against Germany in World War II.
Ed, past President of the Association, was
elected President at the Annual convention
in London, England in April of 1974. He was
accompanied by his daughter Alison, who
also accompanied him to the 1975 P-47
reunion in Atlanta, Georgia, where he
declined a further term as President of the
Association. Ed and his daughter Alison were
very close, and she remembers her Dad as a
very generous, thoughtful, giving man who
was always there when someone needed him.
He not only made life happy for himself, but
also for those around him, and for everyone
he met.
Ed left the formation on September 2,1979, shortly after his 56th birthday, while on vacation in Poland. He was attending a
Pilgrimage there with the Bishop, and Priests
who were friends of the family. Ed had a
chance to really enjoy himself and see the
sights, but at the Airport to come home, he
had a massive hemorrhage. At the Warsaw
Hospital, and after a very serious operation,
he had another massive hemorrhage, and
died.
Pilot Name
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Biography Summary
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John Abbotts
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P-47 transition followed at Pocatello, Idaho and Greenville, Texas after which he was assigned to the 56th Fighter Group in England. When the news of his arrival reached Berlin, Hitler retired to his bunker with his cyanide capsule and revolver. Eva found the news equally depressing.
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Asa A. Adair
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He returned to the States in August of 1944 after participating in the invasion "D" Day. He flew P-63's, P-51's, F-80's, T-33's, F-84's, T-38's, P-47's in numerous assignments during the following twenty years in in, Japan, U.S.A. and Europe before retiring after twenty-six years of Active Duty.
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Edward B. Addison
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The 507th Fighter Group, equipped with P-47N's, won the Presidential Unit Citation for destroying 32 Japanese aircraft in the air on one mission to Seoul, Korea. The average flying time for raids to Korea and Japan would be 7 to 9 hours flying time. In a total of 31 months, the 507th not only provided top cover for B-29's, but also
dive-bombed, napalm-bombed and flew low-level on strafing missions.
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Levon B. Agha-Zarian
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It is rumored that he, took his primary training on a flying rug. He flew Spits, briefly, in England, but as the, war moved to the East, he was sent to India as a Sgt. Pilot and first saw action from Ceylon, flying the Curtiss P.36, the Brewster Buffalo, and the Hurricane. At this point he might have opted for the rug! This was at the time of the fall of Singapore and the sinking of the Prince of Wales and the Repulse.
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George N. Ahles
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Posted to A-20 light bomber squadron Barksdale Field, Louisiana. . Group moved to Hunter Air Base Savannah, Georgia. Qualified for Pilot training November 1940. Entered Aviation Cadets January 1942. Presented wings November 1942 class of 42-J. Married Mary Louise while in Advanced Pilot Training at Craig AFB, Selma, Alabama, September 1942.
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Roy J. Aldritt
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Shortly after the group moved to France he ran into some unseen flak and was forced to make a nylon descent behind the lines; some evasion and a lot of luck had him back with his unit
in 24 hours.
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Eugene J. Amaral
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After graduation from Stonington High School he enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in December 1942 and was called to active duty in March, 1943. He received his wings and commission at Spence Field, Georgia as a member of the Class of 43-C.
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Talmadge L. Ambrose
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Flew 84 missions thru VE Day, was downed by 22mm ground fire over Siefried Line. He destroyed 11 enemy aircraft, 9 known confirmed in air and on
ground, including 4 FW 190-D's in one afternoon over Hanover, Germany, April 8, 1945. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross,
Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, 17 man, Oak Leaf Clusters, Good Conduct Medal, Pacific Theatre and European Theatre Meda1s with 5 Battle
Stars and Unit Citation Medal.
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John C. Anderson
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After P-47 transition he was assigned to the 406th Fighter Group, 512th Fighter Squadron. (E.T
.0.) He flew 56 missions through January, 1945 destroying supply routes, bridges, and railroads; he also flew close support missions with the ground forces, with attacks on tanks, artillery and enemy positions.
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William Anderson
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It was not always flak,two ME-109's beat the hell out of me one day. The central controller called me and said "Basher-Red Leader do you have contact Bandits," I replied, "I sure do, I'll bring them over the field in 3 minutes, they're chasing me home." Got all the usual medals including two Belgium and two French but one I'm most proud of is the Silver Star -it is the greatest.
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