World War II United States Army Air Corps Fighter Ace. He served as a Major in the United States Army Air Corps with the 47th Fighter Squadron, 18th Fighter Group. When the United States military installations at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii were attacked on the morning of December 7, 1941, by the naval forces of Imperial Japan, he and his wingman, then 2nd Lieutenant Kenneth M. Taylor flew their P-40 Kittyhawk aircraft out of Haleiwa field and shot down six Japanese aircraft between them. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor but was rejected because he acted without orders to take off. Their heroics were portrayed in the motion pictures "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "Pearl Harbor". He would end World War II with 16 total confirmed enemy airplanes shot down. A test pilot post-war, he died of injuries from a plane crash sustained during a test flight of the F-100.
World War II United States Army Air Corps Fighter Ace. He served as a Major in the United States Army Air Corps with the 47th Fighter Squadron, 18th Fighter Group. When the United States military installations at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii were attacked on the morning of December 7, 1941, by the naval forces of Imperial Japan, he and his wingman, then 2nd Lieutenant Kenneth M. Taylor flew their P-40 Kittyhawk aircraft out of Haleiwa field and shot down six Japanese aircraft between them. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and nominated for the Congressional Medal of Honor but was rejected because he acted without orders to take off. Their heroics were portrayed in the motion pictures "Tora! Tora! Tora!" and "Pearl Harbor". He would end World War II with 16 total confirmed enemy airplanes shot down. A test pilot post-war, he died of injuries from a plane crash sustained during a test flight of the F-100.
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GEORGE SCHWARTZ WELCH
DELAWARE
MAJOR
US AIR FORCE
WORLD WAR II
DSC-SS-DFC & 2OLC
Family Members
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