Request for Memories of the
Army Air Force / World War II
Greetings! Perhaps you can help...
I am writing a biography of my father, John E. "Jack" Voisin, now deceased, for purposes of family history and genealogy. He served in the Army Air Forces during World War II. Some may have called it the Army Air Corps.
I hope to make contact with any veterans who were classmates in the same training programs as my father. Or, if not in the same class, perhaps those who where at those air fields at about the same time as my father.
I am interested in hearing about your memories and recollections of the training programs, the air fields, the cadets, and generally what life was like.
If you are a veteran who knew my father, or a relative of someone who may have known him, please contact Mike Voisin at: MikeVoisin@iSeeAncestors.com. I may have old photographs and letters that interest you as well.
Places and Dates
The table below summarizes the Army Air Fields (AAF), Army Air Force Base Units (AAFBU), Basic Training Centers (BTC), and Detachments to which my father was assigned. If you were there, I would appreciate any stories you can tell.
| Place | Unit | Start | End | Activity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Detroit, MI | 8-2-1943 | 8-2-1943 | Entered Service | |
| Miami Beach, FL | 414th Training Group, BTC #4 | 8-4-1943 | Sept. 1943 | Basic training |
| Clinton, SC | 39th College Training Detachment | 10-3-1943 | 2-26-1944 | Presbyterian College |
| Miami Beach, FL | 2-27-1944 | 3-13-1944 | Classification processing | |
| Sumter, SC | 3-21-1944 | ? | Air Crew Training Detachment | |
| Santa Ana, CA | Squadron 25, Flight B Squadron 7, Section I Squadron 35, Section M Squadron 3, Section H |
4-21-1944 | Sept. 1944 | Preflight navigation Also an extra in the movie Winged Victory, 1944 |
| Kingman, AZ | 10-2-1944 | 11-16-1944 | Aerial gunnery school | |
| San Marcos, TX | 2536th AAFBU Squadron I | 11-18-1944 | 4-7-1945 | Navigation school |
| Carlsbad, NM | 3009th AAFBU Squadron N 2619th AAFBU Squadron B |
5-1-1945 | 6-7-1945 | Bombardier school |
| Yuma, AZ | 3036th AAFBU Squadron H | 6-10-1945 | 11-11-1945 | Radar bombardment |
| Fort Wayne, IN | 11-15-1945 | 11-18-1945 | Discharge | |
| Selfridge Field, MI | Tenth Air Force | 1946 | 1957[?] | Officer's Reserve Corps |
Clinton, South Carolina
The following people were my father's classmates from the 39th College Training Detachment (CTD), Class E-1, Squadron C, at Presbyterian College in Clinton, South Carolina (February 1944):
| Daniel O. Elliott (Indiana) | Paul H. Smith (Colorado) | Peter J. Tomasino (New York) |
| Gordon G. Everett (Michigan) | Jack Spaar (Minnesota) | Joe J. Trecker (Iowa) |
| John Graves (New York) | Conrad Stanley (Missouri) | Paul R. Tudor (Oklahoma) |
| Willis P. Harvey (Michigan) | Sam "Greek" Stathakis (Arkansas) | Amon P. Turpen (Tennessee) |
| Laurence Johnson (Virginia) | Robert Steimel (Iowa) | Richard E. Vanden Heuvel (Wisconsin) |
| Melvin L. Keas (Colorado) | Hubert S. Stock (California) | Alton L. Varnado (Mississippi) |
| George Krajnovich (Illinois) | Amos G. Stock (Colorado) | George P. Vasen (Illinois) |
| Lee A. Magruder (Kentucky) | Fred E. Stockinger (New Jersey) | Frank J. Verego (Illinois) |
| Francis J. Sherman (Kansas) | Myles B. Stokes (Texas) | Albert Versnik (Wisconsin) |
| Earl E. "Bud" Sherman (Kentucky) | Robert Storch (Minnesota) | Kenneth Violett (Oklahoma) |
| James E. Silz (Ohio) | Charlie Stultz (Indiana) | Elmer T. Vitiense (Wisconsin) |
| James L. Smith (Colorado) | Nevin M. Summers (Florida) | Richard E. Voigt (Florida) |
| Leroy E. Smith (North Carolina) | David B. Thorpe (Florida) |
San Marcos Army Air Field
The following people were my father's classmates from Class 45-10N-F, Aircraft Observers (Aerial Navigators), at the San Marcos Army Air Field in San Marcos, Texas (April 1945):
| Robert K. Borman (Illinois) | Howard M. Kirkpatrick (Texas) | John J. Shaughnessy (New York) |
| William M. Bowen (Illinois) | Sidney "Sid" Klein (New York) | Francis J. Sherman (Missouri) |
| William E. Breidenbach (Illinois) | Carl A. Klinzing, Jr. (Pennsylvania) | John Sisko, Jr. (Connecticut) |
| Roger W. Brickey (Indiana) | Elias Laham (Massachusetts) | Charles J. Smeal (Pennsylvania) |
| Charles M. Carter (Tennessee) | John L. Marshall [formerly Maruszczak] (Illinois) | Robert S. Smith (Connecticut) |
| Dewey G. Cooper | Joseph H. Masterson, Jr. (Massachusetts) | Leroy "Roy" Sommer (Michigan) |
| Stanley W. "Stan" Davis (Massachusetts) | Heyward McLeod (South Carolina) | Verl S. Southwell (Michigan) |
| Raymond J. "Ray" Delopst (Wisconsin) | Lawrence I. Mourey (Oregon) | Frederick L. "Fritz" Stead (Ohio) |
| Clayton O. Douglass | Dennis J. O'Connell (Massachusetts) | Arthur F. Stipp, Jr. (Illinois) |
| Ralph H. Duncan (Missouri) | James H. "Jim" Perry (New York) | William J. Swift, Jr. (North Dakota) |
| Arthur J. Elson (Connecticut) | Nicholas J. Pizzella (Massachusetts) | Glenn M. Walters (Michigan) |
| Richard Ennis (Michigan) | Robert P. Saunders, Jr. (Virginia) | Dean R. White (Minnesota) |
| John R. Grove (Illinois) | John J. Sellman (Michigan) | Joseph R. Williams (New York) |
| William A. Howard (Pennsylvania) | Edwin "Ed" Shapiro (New York) |
Contact: Mike Voisin