JAMES C. COE, JR., born March 28, 1921 at Mt. Vernon, Ohio. In 1939 he began his military career in the Army with Hdqs. & Hdqs. Btry. 80th Fld. Arty, 6th Inf. Div. He was assigned to aviation cadet training in claass 42-K. He was graduated and commissioned at Luke AFB, Arizona. His first assignment took him to Mather AFB, Calif., and to Luke AFB, where he served as an advanced single instructor. In 1943 Jim was assigned to bomber crew training in B-17's with the 19th Bomb Grp. at Pyote, Texas, followed by an assignment to B-24's with the 302nd Bomb Grp. at Clovis, N.M.; 449th Bomb GrP- at Brunning, Neb., and the 34CCTS at Blythe, Calif. More transfers and training followed before being sent to Harding Field, La. for P-47 training.

Arriving in the ETO, Vitamin, a nickname acquired on assignment to the 23rd Ftr. Sqdn. 36th Ftr. Grp., was sent to site A-16 at Saint Marie du Mont, France shortly after the Allied invasion at Normandy. Missions flown were in ground support of the spearheading Army units. Key targets were: Tanks, rail facilities, flak units, air fields, in short, "anything that moved." "Vitamin's" aircraft sustained flak damage on eleven of the various missions he flew over Europe. On one occasion he took a hit from the Panzer Lear Division east of the Remagen Bridge-head which caused him to have to belly land,after managing to maneuver his Jug to the west side of the Rhine, in a small field used by spotter aircraft. On Dec. 26, 1944 during the battle of the Bulge, Jim fought in air to air combat and was credited with the destruction of a Me-109.

Jim was released from active duty in Jan. 1946. He worked at several jobs: John Deere, Meredith Publishing Co., and his own aircraft repair service before being recalled to active duty in 1948 to Lackland AFB, Texas. Reassignment was to Great Falls, Mont. for C-54 transition and further reassignment to Weisbaden, Ger. where he flew supply missions in the Berlin Airlift. His next state side assignment was at Wold-Chamberlain Field in Mpls., Minn. as a volunteer air reserve liaison officer for a tri-state area. At the outbreak of the Korean conflict, Jim reported for duty with the 21st Troop Carrier Sqdn. in the Far East and began flying C-47's. Being the work horse that it was, the C.47, coupled with the 21st TCS provided both the necessary close support for the immediate evacuation of the wounded from forward areas, and the necessary constant replenishment of Ammo, food and supplies.

State side reassignment was with the 1708th Ferrying Group flying: C-47's, C-1 54's, AT-6's, P-51's, T-33's, F-86's, F-100's, F-84's, B-25's, and P-47D and N models. This assignment included a stint at Kelly AFB, Texas and a three year tour in Fuerstenfeldbruck, Ger. and Chateroux, Fr. Jim's last tour of duty before retiring was flying KB50J's with the 429th Air Refueling Sqdn., TAC, at Langley AFB Va. After four years at Langley, Jim retired in June 1962 from the USAF Reserve as a Major with over twenty years' active duty. Major Coe flew 220 combat missions in Europe and Korea. He received over fifty awards and decorations including the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, Air Medal with 14 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Belgian Fourragere.

Since retirement he has worked for the Federal Government in various capacities and has been nuturing an import business on the side. Jim and his wife Nell, after 38 yrs. on married life, have made their home in Columbus, Ohio for the past four years. They have two grown children, Pamella M. and James C. II.