Here is Lieutenant Tom Harmon, the 1940 Heisman winner from Michigan, next to his B-25 bomber in South Carolina in 1943.
Early in 1943, Harmon parachuted into the South American Jungle when his plane flew into a tropical storm. None of the other crewmen bailed out or survived. He was the object of a massive regional search operation once his plane was reported missing. Four days later he stumbled into a clearing in Dutch Guiana. He later transferred to single seat fighters.
He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Silver Star for his actions with the 449th Fighter Squadron. These included having his plane shot down over Japanese occupied China. He saved his silk parachute and it was later used as the material for his wife’s wedding dress.
That photo and story is so cool. Where do you find the photos?
There’s this wonderful web site called Google…