First Lieutenant Laurence B. Craig, (1917-2003) was born on 15 October 1917 to Phillip and Rachel Kassoff. He graduated from the Astoria High School in Astoria, New York in 1932. He then attended Columbia University for two years but since the country was suffering during the Great Depression, he had to stop his schooling and go to work. Lieutenant Craig joined the Royal Canadian Air Force as a cadet in 1939. He received his commission on 7 August 1941 and initially trained as a pilot in Tiget Moths, and soloed in a Hawker Hurricane. He was too old to become a fighter pilot and became an Observer. (Navigator, Radio Operator, and Gunner) He taught Navigation for a time in the Royal Canadian Air Force and then transferred to the U.S. Army Air Corps in April 1944, and was assigned to the Emergency Rescue School at Keesler Field, Biloxie, Mississippi on 4 July 1944.

Lieutenant Craig was assigned to the Second Emergency Rescue Squadron as a Navigator on February 15, 1945. He flew combat mission throughout the Southwest Pacific and when the war was over he left the service on September 25, 1945.

Lieutenant Craig was an engineer, inventor and involved in many kinds of businesses, from the Import / Export business in Casablanca, Morocco, to the Automotive business here in the USA. He also invented a whole new technology in the flameless combustion of  natural gas, which was applied to heat and hot water systems for commercial, industrial, and domestic applications. Though the company no longer exists, the technology  he developed is still the cutting edge in Europe, where the cost of fuel is much higher than here.

His awards and decorations included: Distinguished Flying Cross, [Citation] Air Medal (1st OLC, 2nd OLC), Asiatic/Pacific Campaign Medal, World War II Victory Medal

Laurence B. Craig passed away February 17, 2003 at the age of 85. His son, Geoff Craig can be contacted by e-mail and lives in New York.

Back to "Roster"...