FIRST -- Pilot from Del Rio TX killed in WWII, Laughlin AFB, Del Rio TX
N 29° 22.067 W 100° 47.921
14R E 325417 N 3250078
A state historic 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: WMPN9H
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 09/25/2015
Views: 2
When Lt. Jack Laughlin, a native of Del Rio, TX, was killed in action during WWII over the Java Sea, he was the first pilot from Del Rio killed in WWII. His fellow citizens asked that the new Army Air Field nearby be named in his honor, and it was.
The state historic marker reads as follows:
"Lt. Jack T. Laughlin
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)"
FIRST - Classification Variable: Person or Group
Date of FIRST: 01/29/1942
More Information - Web URL: [Web Link]
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