Henry E. Erwin Military person

Henry Eugene "Red" Erwin, Sr., (May 8, 1921 – January 16, 2002) was a United States Army Air Forces airman and a recipient of the U.S. military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II. He earned the award as a staff sergeant and radio operator aboard a B-29 Superfortress in the Asia-Pacific theater. During a 1945 bombing mission over Koriyama, Japan, a phosphorus bomb prematurely exploded in his aircraft and seriously wounded him. As smoke filled the plane, he picked up the burning device and carried it through the aircraft to the cockpit where he tossed it out a window. Although he suffered severe burns, he successfully saved his plane by disposing of the smoke-generating bomb.

Personal facts

Alias (AKA)Erwin Red
Birth dateMay 08, 1921
Birth place
Adamsville Alabama
Date of deathJanuary 16, 2002
Resting place
Birmingham Alabama , Elmwood Cemetery (Birmingham Alabama)

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Military person

allegianceUnited States of America
award
Purple Heart
Air Medal
Medal of Honor
military operations
World War II
military branch
United States Army Air Forces
military unit
29th Flying Training Wing
Twentieth Air Force
52d Expeditionary Flying Training Squadron
service start1942
service end1947

Henry E. Erwin on Wikipedia

External resources

  1. http://www.homeofheroes.com/wings/erwin.html