For Memorial Day I thought I would share some of the story of one of East Quogue’s own, James Thomas Sanford, son of Kent and Elise Sanford, who went to war and unfortunately did not return.
James enlisted in the armed services on January 10, 1940 when he was just twenty years old. He served in the Air Force, which at that time, was part of the Army and called the Army Air Corps. In 1942 he was in the Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, 5th Bombardment Group (H) Thirteenth Air Force Hawaii. He was near Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941 ,bringing the United States into World War II.
In July 1942 he was stationed at Midway, serving as a tail gunner in a B-17 bomber. On July 31, 1942 he went, with the crew of his plane, out on a photo reconnaissance mission, 1300 miles from his base on Midway to Wake Island. At the beginning of the war, Wake Island was being used by the Americans. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, they also attacked the American base on Wake Island. This base was an important part of the war in the Pacific. At first the Japanese were unable to take the island, however, on December 23, 1941 they were successful in their attempt at removing the Americans from this base. Prior to the mission James was on in 1942, two other missions had gone out to try and capture these pictures, but neither had retuned. Sanford’s mission was able to fly over the island three times at 2000, 4000, and 6000 feet. After they had gotten the images, six Japanese aircraft took to the sky to down the Americans plane so that the images could not be brought back to the base. Sanford was at the tail gun, he along with the others on the plane were able to out gun and out maneuver the Japanese shooting down four out of the six planes, it was said by his superiors that he showed personal courage along with a zealous devotion to his duty. The mission was successful in returning with the captured images.
For his work he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. In the Newspaper, The Suffolk County News on August 21, 1942, he was quoted as saying “I guess poppin’ off the ducks on Long Island really pays”. These island locations were extremely important for the ability to move men, ships and airplanes to other islands. The planes could not fly as far as they can now, so both sides needed bases throughout the Pacific to be able to strike their opponent. The US did not get the island back until September 4, 1945. The photographs taken by the mission that Sanford was on would have been useful in identifying where the enemy had their supplies set up. With these photographs they would have been able to identify targets that they could bomb, trying to stop the Japanese military from taking over more islands.
After three years, eight months and 70 combat missions in the Southwest Pacific, he came back to the United States in 1944 to be an instructor for aerial gunnery. He also came home to East Quogue to visit his parents. This would be the last time they saw their son alive. While he was visiting his parents, the military was looking for volunteers to go to the European front. Our hometown hero signed up in April 1944 and he was promptly sent to Italy as Major Sargent.
On July 2, 1944 he was reported missing in action. The B-24 that he was in was hit by enemy fire and downed over Budapest, Hungary, it was his 33rd European Front mission. It was a year before the military officially declared him presumed dead. The mission he was on was part of an American attack on the Hungarian city of Budapest. These bombings were ordered due to the Nazi’s being there against the United States and the Hungarian dictators wishes. The Nazi’s were relocating the Jewish Hungarians to concentration camps, this angered the United States and the dictator of Hungary Mikos Horthy, neither of whom wanted the Nazi’s to take the Hungarian Jews to the concentration camps. To dissuade them from continuing these efforts the US bombed points of interest in Budapest, these included factories and oil facilities. They also dropped pamphlets telling the citizens that the bombings would continue until the relocations stopped. James was lost when he went out on a mission to bomb one of the oil facilities. Six members of his crew did survive, James was one of the five reported missing.
For his services in the armed forces on both the Pacific and European fronts he received the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal. He also received the Oak Leaf Cluster, denoting being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for a second time. Shortly after arriving to Italy to be a part of the 744th Bomber Squadron 456 Bomber Group Heavy, his unit received a Distinguished Unit Citation. He also, posthumously, was awarded the Purple Heart.
His comrades in the Pacific had not forgotten him after he left that front. Upon hearing of the news of their lost brother, Lt Cletus J Stibick, Sgt Robert Perry and PFC Walter Herget all members of the Battery B, 7th AAA Bn who were stationed in the Philippines sent a letter to his parents in which they told his parents that “they have brought down one of Tojo’s nicest zero’s and dedicated to the people of East Quogue with their best wishes.” This was their way of honoring and “taken revenge in some small way” for their friend James.
A memorial service was held on August 19, 1945 at the Methodist Church in East Quogue conducted by its minister Rev. Robert McCloskey, a headstone was placed in Oakwood Cemetery. According to the information from the military, it says he is buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery in France, it says on their website that this is the largest American cemetery in Europe with 10,489 internments.
James was only 24 when he perished in World War II, he had an incredibly impressive military career, never seeming to lose his personal courage and zealous devotion to his duty. It is these men and women that we honor on Memorial Day.
Sources
Findagrave.com
Fold3.com
Ancestry.com
Live-brary.com
Newspapers.com
James enlisted in the armed services on January 10, 1940 when he was just twenty years old. He served in the Air Force, which at that time, was part of the Army and called the Army Air Corps. In 1942 he was in the Headquarters and Headquarters Squadron, 5th Bombardment Group (H) Thirteenth Air Force Hawaii. He was near Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941 ,bringing the United States into World War II.
In July 1942 he was stationed at Midway, serving as a tail gunner in a B-17 bomber. On July 31, 1942 he went, with the crew of his plane, out on a photo reconnaissance mission, 1300 miles from his base on Midway to Wake Island. At the beginning of the war, Wake Island was being used by the Americans. When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, they also attacked the American base on Wake Island. This base was an important part of the war in the Pacific. At first the Japanese were unable to take the island, however, on December 23, 1941 they were successful in their attempt at removing the Americans from this base. Prior to the mission James was on in 1942, two other missions had gone out to try and capture these pictures, but neither had retuned. Sanford’s mission was able to fly over the island three times at 2000, 4000, and 6000 feet. After they had gotten the images, six Japanese aircraft took to the sky to down the Americans plane so that the images could not be brought back to the base. Sanford was at the tail gun, he along with the others on the plane were able to out gun and out maneuver the Japanese shooting down four out of the six planes, it was said by his superiors that he showed personal courage along with a zealous devotion to his duty. The mission was successful in returning with the captured images.
For his work he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. In the Newspaper, The Suffolk County News on August 21, 1942, he was quoted as saying “I guess poppin’ off the ducks on Long Island really pays”. These island locations were extremely important for the ability to move men, ships and airplanes to other islands. The planes could not fly as far as they can now, so both sides needed bases throughout the Pacific to be able to strike their opponent. The US did not get the island back until September 4, 1945. The photographs taken by the mission that Sanford was on would have been useful in identifying where the enemy had their supplies set up. With these photographs they would have been able to identify targets that they could bomb, trying to stop the Japanese military from taking over more islands.
After three years, eight months and 70 combat missions in the Southwest Pacific, he came back to the United States in 1944 to be an instructor for aerial gunnery. He also came home to East Quogue to visit his parents. This would be the last time they saw their son alive. While he was visiting his parents, the military was looking for volunteers to go to the European front. Our hometown hero signed up in April 1944 and he was promptly sent to Italy as Major Sargent.
On July 2, 1944 he was reported missing in action. The B-24 that he was in was hit by enemy fire and downed over Budapest, Hungary, it was his 33rd European Front mission. It was a year before the military officially declared him presumed dead. The mission he was on was part of an American attack on the Hungarian city of Budapest. These bombings were ordered due to the Nazi’s being there against the United States and the Hungarian dictators wishes. The Nazi’s were relocating the Jewish Hungarians to concentration camps, this angered the United States and the dictator of Hungary Mikos Horthy, neither of whom wanted the Nazi’s to take the Hungarian Jews to the concentration camps. To dissuade them from continuing these efforts the US bombed points of interest in Budapest, these included factories and oil facilities. They also dropped pamphlets telling the citizens that the bombings would continue until the relocations stopped. James was lost when he went out on a mission to bomb one of the oil facilities. Six members of his crew did survive, James was one of the five reported missing.
For his services in the armed forces on both the Pacific and European fronts he received the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal. He also received the Oak Leaf Cluster, denoting being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for a second time. Shortly after arriving to Italy to be a part of the 744th Bomber Squadron 456 Bomber Group Heavy, his unit received a Distinguished Unit Citation. He also, posthumously, was awarded the Purple Heart.
His comrades in the Pacific had not forgotten him after he left that front. Upon hearing of the news of their lost brother, Lt Cletus J Stibick, Sgt Robert Perry and PFC Walter Herget all members of the Battery B, 7th AAA Bn who were stationed in the Philippines sent a letter to his parents in which they told his parents that “they have brought down one of Tojo’s nicest zero’s and dedicated to the people of East Quogue with their best wishes.” This was their way of honoring and “taken revenge in some small way” for their friend James.
A memorial service was held on August 19, 1945 at the Methodist Church in East Quogue conducted by its minister Rev. Robert McCloskey, a headstone was placed in Oakwood Cemetery. According to the information from the military, it says he is buried at the Lorraine American Cemetery in France, it says on their website that this is the largest American cemetery in Europe with 10,489 internments.
James was only 24 when he perished in World War II, he had an incredibly impressive military career, never seeming to lose his personal courage and zealous devotion to his duty. It is these men and women that we honor on Memorial Day.
Sources
Findagrave.com
Fold3.com
Ancestry.com
Live-brary.com
Newspapers.com
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