Hometown hero honored at 21st Wreath Laying Ceremony

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Stan Coleman
  • 509th Bomb Wing Public Affairs
SEDALIA, Mo. --  "It could have happened anytime, anywhere."

Those were the words of 2nd Lt. George A. Whiteman's mother, Mrs. Earlie Whiteman, who resided in Sedalia, Mo., after hearing the news of her son's death. In honor of Mrs. Whiteman's spirit, those words later became the motto of the 340th Bombardment Wing, home-based at the newly named Whiteman Air Force Base in 1955.

On May 16, the 21st Memorial Wreath-Laying Ceremony for Lieutenant Whiteman celebrated the spirit of those words and the memory of a young American pilot who, during the attack on Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941, gave his life in an effort to engage the enemy in aerial combat.

The guest speaker, retired Brig. Gen. George Dennis Shull, former Missouri National Guard adjutant general, cited the account of Lieutenant Whiteman's history after confessing a restraint of emotion regarding his sacrifice as well as the sacrifices of the thousands of Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines throughout the history of America's military:

"Lieutenant Whiteman, during the attack on Pearl Harbor, viewed the devastation from his dormitory room. As he surveyed the damage he knew what he had to do. He rushed out of his quarters and drove to Hickam Airfield. He boarded a P-40 that was not fully air-combat ready and ascended to only 50 feet in the air when two Japanese Zeroes attacked his aircraft.

"Observers of the attack reported that 50 feet in the air, Lieutenant Whiteman struggled to avoid going-down in his bullet-riddled aircraft. He made it to a stretch of beach where he crashed. He attempted to land his aircraft probably with the mindset to go back and get another aircraft.

"Why did Lieutenant Whiteman attempt to get that 'partially combat-ready' aircraft into the air?" asked General Shull. "You have to remember his value system--his sense of duty, his sense of obligation and the need of that young air warrior to get that aircraft into the air and do the battle that he was trained to do. And because of that, what he did was nothing less than glorious. It's important for his family to understand the magnitude of that sacrifice. His sacrifice wasn't in vain...that sacrifice ensures that future generations of Americans will do the same thing."

"The day the American people forget about the sacrifices of our veterans and what they gave back to us all will be a sad day," said Joe Cochran, member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 2591 honors team. "Because of the sacrifices of military members like Lieutenant Whiteman, we enjoy freedoms and privileges many countries don't have."