Staff Sergeant Clarence Lee
Coon Jr., (1924 - 2018) was born on
October 26, 1924 in Drew, Mississippi to Mr. & Mrs. Clarence L. Coon Sr. After
graduation from Drew High School in 1942, Staff Sergeant Coon entered the service in May
1943. He completed Basic Training at Gulfport, Mississippi followed by Aircraft Mechanic
school at Sheppard Field, Wichita Falls, Texas. (He also completed training on the B-25
and B-26 Medium bombers) He was
assigned to Emergency Air Rescue on detached service at Pensacola Naval Air Station,
Florida for training purposes. Assigned
to Keesler Air Base for additional training with crew assignment. Our crew
sent to Georgia to pick up a new PBY-5A to ferry to the 2nd ERS stationed on Morotai,
arriving in February 1945. Our crew flew many combat missions covering strikes on
Balikpapan, Borneo-- Making 2
rescues-one B-25 crew that ditched in Balikpapan Bay- Another to rescue a PBY crew that
crashed on take-off after rescuing a B-24 crew. "The 6th Combat Camera Crew was
with us on that mission and recorded the take-off crash. Our crew also ferried the
Australian Chief-of-Staff on an Inspection trip to several places including the island of
Brueni. Our flight transferred from Moratai to Clark Air Field north of Manila in
about august 1945." Staff Sergeant Coon left Clark Field in Dec 1945 on the way
Home and was discharged in Jan 1946.
After
College, Staff Sergeant
Coon taught Veterans on-the-farm training and
farmed some. I then got into the agricultural supply business and the grain business.
[Avideo
interview of Second ERS Vet Lee Coon!
Lee passed away on Wednesday January 3, 2018 at the age of 93.
Staff Sergeant Clarence Lee
Coon Jr., (1924 - 2018) was born on
October 26, 1924 in Drew, Mississippi to Mr. & Mrs. Clarence L. Coon Sr. After
graduation from Drew High School in 1942, Staff Sergeant Coon entered the service in May
1943. He completed Basic Training at Gulfport, Mississippi followed by Aircraft Mechanic
school at Sheppard Field, Wichita Falls, Texas. (He also completed training on the B-25
and B-26 Medium bombers) He was
assigned to Emergency Air Rescue on detached service at Pensacola Naval Air Station,
Florida for training purposes. Assigned
to Keesler Air Base for additional training with crew assignment. Our crew
sent to Georgia to pick up a new PBY-5A to ferry to the 2nd ERS stationed on Morotai,
arriving in February 1945. Our crew flew many combat missions covering strikes on
Balikpapan, Borneo-- Making 2
rescues-one B-25 crew that ditched in Balikpapan Bay- Another to rescue a PBY crew that
crashed on take-off after rescuing a B-24 crew. "The 6th Combat Camera Crew was
with us on that mission and recorded the take-off crash. Our crew also ferried the
Australian Chief-of-Staff on an Inspection trip to several places including the island of
Brueni. Our flight transferred from Moratai to Clark Air Field north of Manila in
about august 1945." Staff Sergeant Coon left Clark Field in Dec 1945 on the way
Home and was discharged in Jan 1946.