Lt. Jack T. Laughlin
N 29° 22.067 W 100° 47.921
14R E 325417 N 3250078
Second of four historical markers in a small roadside pullout on the eastbound US 90 near the main gate entrance to Laughlin Air Force Base outside of Del Rio, Texas
Waymark Code: WMPN9F
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/25/2015
Views: 3
Second of four historical markers in a small roadside pullout on the eastbound US 90 near the main gate entrance to Laughlin Air Force Base outside of Del Rio, Texas, this historic marker commemorates Lt. Laughlin, a citizen of Del Rio, who was killed in action during WWII over the Java Sea.
Del Rio citizens asked that the new Army Air Field nearby be named in honor of Lt Laughlin, and it was.
Marker Number: 13495
Marker Text:
Born in Del Rio on Sept. 17, 1914, Jack Thomas Laughlin graduated from Del Rio high School and earned a degree from the University of Texas. In 1940, he joined the Army Air Corps and the following year received his pilot’s wings at Stockton, CA. On Jan. 29, 1942, during World War II, his B-17 Flying Fortress was shot down over the Java Sea in the Indonesian islands. The U.S. Army established an airfield in Del Rio that year, and citizens and officials requested it be named for Laughlin, the first Del Rio-born pilot killed in the war. Despite the official policy for naming bases, the idea prevailed, and in March 1943 Laughlin Field was dedicated with the pilot’s widow and daughter in attendance. (2006)
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