Aug. 23, 2023

36th IS NCO helps track down last missing Medal of Honor

JOINT BASE LANGLEY-EUSTIS, Va. — On Feb. 20, 1944, Staff Sgt. Archibald Mathies, from the 510th Bombardment Squadron, 351st Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, was serving as engineer and ball turret gunner on an aircraft that was attacked by a squadron of enemy fighters with the result of the copilot being killed outright, pilot wounded and unconscious, the radio operator wounded and the plane severely damaged. According to the citation, Mathies and other members of the crew managed to right the plane and fly it back to their home station, where they contacted the control tower and reported the situation.