FIRST -- Aircraft to land on Iwo Jima, Ouachita County Courthouse, Camden AR
N 33° 35.050 W 092° 49.821
15S E 515743 N 3716063
CPT Solie Solomon was part of gthe furst US squadron to land on Iwo Jima after the Japanese were dislodged from that island in WWII
Waymark Code: WMX1HN
Location: Arkansas, United States
Date Posted: 11/13/2017
Views: 1
This memorial plaque about the last US aerial victory of WWI is located on the south side of the Ouachita County Courthouse along Jackson Street SW in downtown Camden. It is one of over a dozen veteran and war memorials installed at this courthouse.
The memorial reads as follows:
"[unit logo]
THE LAST TO FIGHT
Solie Solomon (whose name was changed to Lee Kendall in 1962) was born on February 20, 1920 in Camden, Arkansas. He graduated from Camden high school in 1938 and finished his college at Magnolia A&M in 1940. He applied for and was accepted for pilot training in the US Army Air Forces. In April 1944 is a B 24 Instructor Pilot, he requested a transfer for training as the P 61 Night Fighter Pilot. In March 1945 his 548th Night Fighter Squadron was the first aircraft to land on Iwo Jima after duty on Saipan.
Later the 548th NFS moved to Ie Shima, a small island near Okinawa. On August 15, 1945 Captain Solie Solomons P-41 Black Widow named “Lady in the Dark” (with appropriate nose art) embarked on its final combat mission of the second world war. Officially the war had ended at midnight on August 14, 1945, and Solomon’s aircraft was sent out on Combat Air Patrol the night of August 15 as protection of ships and islands in the area near Okinawa.
Captain Solomon was not expecting any action but when a renegade aircraft, (later determined to be a Japanese Ki-44 “Tojo”) was spotted by Ground Control Radar, Solomon’s crew made an interception and requested permission to shoot down the intruder. The enemy aircraft dropped “chaff” numerous times to prevent detection, and had made violent evasive action at low altitudes until it eventually crashed on a small island. This mission accomplished what was probably the last aerial victory in WWII.
Captain Solomon was awarded the air medal with three oak leaf clusters. Forty-five years after the original recommendation, he received the Distinguished Flying Cross at a formal presentation at March Air Force Base in California. Captain Solomon distinguished himself by extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight against the enemy and the Asiatic- Pacific theater.
Camden Historical Advisory Commission
2006"
FIRST - Classification Variable: Person or Group
Date of FIRST: 03/01/1945
More Information - Web URL: Not listed
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