Herbert James Coleman
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Air Force
COLEMAN Jr., Herbert James
Herbert James Coleman Jr. was born on November 10th 1920 to Herbert Sr, & Harriett Ruth [Marti] Coleman in Eveleth, Minnesota.
Mr. Coleman entered the U.S. Army on February 12th 1941.
He served at the rank of Private (PVT) with Battery A, 1st Battalion, 125th Field Artillery Regiment. PVT Coleman then transferred to the Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet and received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant on January 13th 1943.
As a B-17 Flying Fortress bomber pilot, LT Coleman flew 31 combat missions with the 8th Air Force''s 305th Bomb Group (Heavy) from a base in England.
LT Coleman earned the following merits for his service:
- Distinguished Flying Cross
- Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters. -and-
- European-African-Middle East Campaign Service Medal.
He left active duty in 1945. After the war he returned home and married Carole Bernadine Thompson on June 25th 1949 and they started a family.
LT Coleman then served as pilot with the 148th Fighter Interceptor Group, Minnesota Air National Guard, until retiring as a major in 1969.
Mr. Coleman died on August 13th 2000 at the age of 79 years in Fairfax, Virginia. He is buried at Quantico National Cemetery in Quantico, Virginia.
Source(s):
Albert J. Amatuzio Research Center | Veterans Memorial Hall (vets-hall.org)
Herbert James Coleman (1920-2000) - Find a Grave Memorial
U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007 - Ancestry.com
