1Lt. with the 76th Fighter Squadron 23rd Fighter Group. Awarded the Air Medal.
Interred 23 Mar 1949. Moved from Mausoleum No. 2, Schofield Barracks.
***********************************
At 8:05, Sept. 5, Red Pontiac, a flight of two ships -Capt. K. C. Hawk leading with Lt. Van Voorhis as wingman - took off on a scheduled surveillance flight to Hankow. At approximately 10:30, they were 6 miles south of Yochow following the railroad. At this point while observing troop movements, Capt. Hawk had engine trouble, which caused him to prepare to belly land in a rice field. The engine started as he reached minimum altitude and he climbed back up to 5000 ft. Lt. Van Voorhis was about 6 ship length behind him in trail when he started losing altitude. When Hawk had recovered and regained altitude, Lt. Van Voorhis had disappeared. Hawk called repeatedly on the radio with no contact. They had perfect radio contact at 8:30. Hawk returned to Lichow after circling the area for several minutes. He assumed that Lt. Van Voorhis, upon losing his leader had continued on the assigned course. He gave no distress call on the radio.
***********************************
Lt. Van Voorhis Listed as Dead
Missing nearly a year, First Lieut. John W. (Jack) Van Voorhis, 27, today was officially listed as dead by the war department.
Word that he is now presumed to have lost his life a few weeks after V-J day last year was received today by his wife, Mrs. DeNella Van Voorhis, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Van Voorhis, 202 W. Gambier street. Two brothers, James and Lester, both war veterans, and a sister, Mrs. George Arnold, all of Mount Vernon, also survive.
Lt. Van Voorhis, a fighter plane pilot, was listed as missing Sept. 5, 1945, after he failed to return from a flight over "the hump" in the Burma-India theater, where he had served nearly a year. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1941 and after being graduated from an Air Force technical school early in 1942, entered aviation cadet school. He was commissioned a second lieutenant May 28, 1943, and served as an instructor at Craig Field, Selma, Ala., and at Shaw Field, S.C., before going to China in December, 1944. He was commissioned a first lieutenant early in 1945.
Interred 23 Mar 1949. Moved from Mausoleum No. 2, Schofield Barracks.
***********************************
At 8:05, Sept. 5, Red Pontiac, a flight of two ships -Capt. K. C. Hawk leading with Lt. Van Voorhis as wingman - took off on a scheduled surveillance flight to Hankow. At approximately 10:30, they were 6 miles south of Yochow following the railroad. At this point while observing troop movements, Capt. Hawk had engine trouble, which caused him to prepare to belly land in a rice field. The engine started as he reached minimum altitude and he climbed back up to 5000 ft. Lt. Van Voorhis was about 6 ship length behind him in trail when he started losing altitude. When Hawk had recovered and regained altitude, Lt. Van Voorhis had disappeared. Hawk called repeatedly on the radio with no contact. They had perfect radio contact at 8:30. Hawk returned to Lichow after circling the area for several minutes. He assumed that Lt. Van Voorhis, upon losing his leader had continued on the assigned course. He gave no distress call on the radio.
***********************************
Lt. Van Voorhis Listed as Dead
Missing nearly a year, First Lieut. John W. (Jack) Van Voorhis, 27, today was officially listed as dead by the war department.
Word that he is now presumed to have lost his life a few weeks after V-J day last year was received today by his wife, Mrs. DeNella Van Voorhis, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Van Voorhis, 202 W. Gambier street. Two brothers, James and Lester, both war veterans, and a sister, Mrs. George Arnold, all of Mount Vernon, also survive.
Lt. Van Voorhis, a fighter plane pilot, was listed as missing Sept. 5, 1945, after he failed to return from a flight over "the hump" in the Burma-India theater, where he had served nearly a year. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1941 and after being graduated from an Air Force technical school early in 1942, entered aviation cadet school. He was commissioned a second lieutenant May 28, 1943, and served as an instructor at Craig Field, Selma, Ala., and at Shaw Field, S.C., before going to China in December, 1944. He was commissioned a first lieutenant early in 1945.
1Lt. with the 76th Fighter Squadron 23rd Fighter Group. Awarded the Air Medal.
Interred 23 Mar 1949. Moved from Mausoleum No. 2, Schofield Barracks.
***********************************
At 8:05, Sept. 5, Red Pontiac, a flight of two ships -Capt. K. C. Hawk leading with Lt. Van Voorhis as wingman - took off on a scheduled surveillance flight to Hankow. At approximately 10:30, they were 6 miles south of Yochow following the railroad. At this point while observing troop movements, Capt. Hawk had engine trouble, which caused him to prepare to belly land in a rice field. The engine started as he reached minimum altitude and he climbed back up to 5000 ft. Lt. Van Voorhis was about 6 ship length behind him in trail when he started losing altitude. When Hawk had recovered and regained altitude, Lt. Van Voorhis had disappeared. Hawk called repeatedly on the radio with no contact. They had perfect radio contact at 8:30. Hawk returned to Lichow after circling the area for several minutes. He assumed that Lt. Van Voorhis, upon losing his leader had continued on the assigned course. He gave no distress call on the radio.
***********************************
Lt. Van Voorhis Listed as Dead
Missing nearly a year, First Lieut. John W. (Jack) Van Voorhis, 27, today was officially listed as dead by the war department.
Word that he is now presumed to have lost his life a few weeks after V-J day last year was received today by his wife, Mrs. DeNella Van Voorhis, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Van Voorhis, 202 W. Gambier street. Two brothers, James and Lester, both war veterans, and a sister, Mrs. George Arnold, all of Mount Vernon, also survive.
Lt. Van Voorhis, a fighter plane pilot, was listed as missing Sept. 5, 1945, after he failed to return from a flight over "the hump" in the Burma-India theater, where he had served nearly a year. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1941 and after being graduated from an Air Force technical school early in 1942, entered aviation cadet school. He was commissioned a second lieutenant May 28, 1943, and served as an instructor at Craig Field, Selma, Ala., and at Shaw Field, S.C., before going to China in December, 1944. He was commissioned a first lieutenant early in 1945.
Interred 23 Mar 1949. Moved from Mausoleum No. 2, Schofield Barracks.
***********************************
At 8:05, Sept. 5, Red Pontiac, a flight of two ships -Capt. K. C. Hawk leading with Lt. Van Voorhis as wingman - took off on a scheduled surveillance flight to Hankow. At approximately 10:30, they were 6 miles south of Yochow following the railroad. At this point while observing troop movements, Capt. Hawk had engine trouble, which caused him to prepare to belly land in a rice field. The engine started as he reached minimum altitude and he climbed back up to 5000 ft. Lt. Van Voorhis was about 6 ship length behind him in trail when he started losing altitude. When Hawk had recovered and regained altitude, Lt. Van Voorhis had disappeared. Hawk called repeatedly on the radio with no contact. They had perfect radio contact at 8:30. Hawk returned to Lichow after circling the area for several minutes. He assumed that Lt. Van Voorhis, upon losing his leader had continued on the assigned course. He gave no distress call on the radio.
***********************************
Lt. Van Voorhis Listed as Dead
Missing nearly a year, First Lieut. John W. (Jack) Van Voorhis, 27, today was officially listed as dead by the war department.
Word that he is now presumed to have lost his life a few weeks after V-J day last year was received today by his wife, Mrs. DeNella Van Voorhis, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Clyde Van Voorhis, 202 W. Gambier street. Two brothers, James and Lester, both war veterans, and a sister, Mrs. George Arnold, all of Mount Vernon, also survive.
Lt. Van Voorhis, a fighter plane pilot, was listed as missing Sept. 5, 1945, after he failed to return from a flight over "the hump" in the Burma-India theater, where he had served nearly a year. He enlisted in the Air Force in 1941 and after being graduated from an Air Force technical school early in 1942, entered aviation cadet school. He was commissioned a second lieutenant May 28, 1943, and served as an instructor at Craig Field, Selma, Ala., and at Shaw Field, S.C., before going to China in December, 1944. He was commissioned a first lieutenant early in 1945.
Inscription
JOHN W VAN VOORHIS
OHIO
1st Lieutenant 23 AAF Fir Gp
World War II
Sept. 20 1917 Sept. 5 1945
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Ohio.
Family Members
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