Lloyd A. Whitten - Chico, TX
N 33° 17.162 W 097° 47.969
14S E 611787 N 3683640
Seaman First Class Lloyd A. Whitten is remembered on the headstone shared by his parents, John H. and Mary K. Whitten, in Chico Cemetery, Chico, TX. They are buried here, but he is not.
Waymark Code: WMTYCE
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 01/23/2017
Views: 0
John H. and Mary K. Whitten share a gray, granite headstone in Chico Cemetery. It is a simple headstone, detailed with lines, and the family name, "Whitten" is in a box at the top. Below, in their own boxes, are their personal dates, and below that is:
In Remberance [sic] of
Lloyd A. Jan. 13, 1926 - May 8, 1945
Killed in service of his country.
Most of the following is quoted. According to the VPNAVY website, Seaman Whitten served with US Navy Patrol Bombing Squadron VPB119 as the tail gunner of crew #7, commanded by Lt. T.R. Alkire. According to the squadron war diary entry of May 7, 1945, Whitten was killed by a "single 12.7 bullet that hit the tail turret" while his crew was engaged in strafing attacks of enemy targets on Hainan Island, China. Ultimately awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Whitten is the only KIA member of the squadron who was recovered from an aircraft that returned to base: All others were either MIA at the end of the war or had died in shootdowns over enemy territory.
When the plane returned from the mission, his body was removed and buried at the USAF cemetery near Manila. Eventually, he was re-interred in Plot N - Row 11 - Grave 47 of the Manila American Cemetery on Luzon, Philippines (There are photos at this website).