French Erect Monument to Tampa Flier
World War II, 1939-1945
Veterans--Florida
A newspaper article reporting the construction of a memorial for Lt. Connie O. Walker and his crew. The article discusses the crash that killed Walker, efforts to save the sole survivor of the mission, and French success towards the memorial’s creation. Russell Brooks, an American diplomat, shows his gratitude towards the French people near the end of the article. <br /><br />2nd Lieutenant Connie O. Walker (1920-1944) was born and raised in Waycross, Georgia. He registered in the Young Men’s Draft in February 1942, and later applied for the United States Air Force’s Aviation Cadet training program. After earning his wings, Walker married Lucille Parks and moved to Salt Lake City, Utah. The Army assigned Walker to the 492nd Bombardment Group, sent to Europe in June 1944. On a mission airdropping supplies to French Resistance fighters, Walker’s aircraft crashed into a hill due to dark, dangerous conditions. Walker was killed on impact and buried in the nearby village of St. Martin-en-Haut. After the war, Walker was reburied in the Rhône American Cemetery and Memorial in Draguignan, France. <br /><br /><a href="https://projects.cah.ucf.edu/fl-francesoldierstories/">The Florida-France Soldier Stories project</a> seeks to tell the stories of the Florida soldiers buried in the American Battle Monuments Commission cemeteries in France. Our goal is to honor and commemorate the brave individuals who gave their lives supporting the Allied forces, liberating France, and defeating Germany in the Second World War. Simultaneously, our goal is to teach the students who participate in this research project about the history of France and Florida during World War II, about the history of individual servicemen, and about how to implement historical research methods in their work.
<em>The Tampa Tribune</em>
Photocopy of original newspaper article, March 1946: Digitized by Newspapers.com.
<em>The Tampa Tribune</em>
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Major General Ben Ivan Funk Presents Award Citations to T. J. Joseph O'Malley and Dr. Calvin D. Fowler
Cape Canaveral (Fla.)
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (Fla.)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (U.S.)
NASA
Air Force
Major General Ben Ivan Funk (1913-2012), of the U.S. Air Force, presents citations noting service to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) space program to aerospace engineer T. J. Joseph O'Malley and Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 (LC-14) Manager Dr. Calvin D. Fowler. Photographed, from left to right, is O'Malley, Maj. Gen. Funk, and Dr. Fowler.
Original black and white photographic print: Private Collection of Dr. Calvin D. Fowler.
Fowler, Calvin D.
<a href="http://srealserver.eecs.ucf.edu/chronopoints/" target="_blank">Chronopoints</a>
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 Blockhouse, Cape Canaveral, Florida
Space Systems Division Headquarters, Air Force Systems Command, United States Air Force, El Segundo, California
Astronaut Gordon Cooper
Cape Canaveral (Fla.)
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (Fla.)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (U.S.)
NASA
Astronauts--United States
Project Mercury (U.S.)
Project Gemini (U.S.)
Air Force
Gordon Cooper (1927-2004) was the sixth American in space and the fourth to orbit the Earth. Cooper flew in the Faith 7 spacecraft for Project Mercury. At the time, he was in space for 34 hours, longer than any American. With his second space flight in Project Gemini, Cooper led all astronauts and cosmonauts in total accumulated time in space. U.S. Air Force (USAF) Colonel Cooper was selected in 1959 as one of the Mercury 7, which was the first group of American astronauts, after a detailed examination of him physically and psychologically, and the successful achievement of the qualifying requirements. Before entering the space program, Cooper was an accomplished pilot, aeronautical engineer, and test pilot. In this self signed color photograph, Cooper is posed in his space suit standing next to a scale model of his spacecraft with the American flag behind him.
Original 8 x 10 inch color photographic print: Private Collection of Dr. Calvin D. Fowler.
Fowler, Calvin D.
<a href="http://srealserver.eecs.ucf.edu/chronopoints/" target="_blank">Chronopoints</a>
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Cape Canaveral, Florida
A Great Trip in a Sweet Bird
Cape Canaveral (Fla.)
Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (Fla.)
National Aeronautics and Space Administration (U.S.)
NASA
Project Mercury (U.S.)
Air Force
A newspaper article published by <em>The </em><em>Plattsburgh Press-Republican</em> on October 4, 1962. Dr. Calvin D. Fowler was the manager of Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 during the final three launches of Project Mercury. In this newspaper photograph, he is shown sitting at the Launch Conductor's console in the blockhouse at Launch Complex 14 (LC-14), launching <span><span>Wally Schirra (1923-2007)</span></span>'s Mercury-Atlas rocket, named Sigma 7, into space. Dr. Fowler would go on to do the same for Gordon Cooper (1927-2004).
Original newspaper article: "A Great Trip in a Sweet Bird." <a href="http://www.pressrepublican.com/" target="_blank"><em>The Plattsburgh Press-Republican</em></a>, Vol. LXIX, no. 45, October 4, 1962: Private Collection of Dr. Calvin D. Fowler.
<a href="http://www.pressrepublican.com/" target="_blank"><em>The Plattsburgh Press-Republican</em></a>
Fowler, Calvin D.
<a href="http://srealserver.eecs.ucf.edu/chronopoints/" target="_blank">Chronopoints</a>
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Cape Canaveral Air Force Station Launch Complex 14 Blockhouse, Cape Canaveral, Florida
Oral History of George G. McGuire
Veterans--Florida
Orlando (Fla.)
Vietnam War, 1961-1985
Air Force
Army
An oral history interview of George G. McGuire, who joined the U.S. Air Force in 1963 and served until 1983. He was born on Summit, New Jersey, on October 17, 1941. A veteran of the Vietnam War era, McGuire achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.<br /><br />This interview was conducted by Judy Scherer on April 1, 2014. Interview topics include McGuire's background and family, his college education, join the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC), Whiteman Air Force Base, McCoy Air Force Base, duties as a procurement officer and a contract administrator, the Defense Contract Administration Services, serving in Bangkok during the Vietnam War, the U.S. Air Force Office of Special Investigations (USAFOSI), the Rock Island Arsenal, military retirement, U.S.-Thailand relations, and his many travel experiences.
McGuire, George G.
Scherer, Judy
<a href="http://stars.library.ucf.edu/veteransoralhistories/269/" target="_blank">McGuire, George G.</a> Interviewed by Judy Scherer, April 1, 2014. Audio/video record available. <a href="http://digital.library.ucf.edu/cdm/landingpage/collection/VET" target="_blank">UCF Community Veterans History Project</a>, RICHES of Central Florida, University of Central Florida, Orlando, Florida.
<a href="http://riches.cah.ucf.edu/" target="_blank">RICHES of Central Florida</a>
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Summit, New Jersey
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Fawley, England
Durban, South Africa
Statue of Liberty, Liberty Island, New York City, New York
University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana
Whiteman Air Force Base, Missouri
McCoy Air Force Base, Orlando, Florida
George Washington University, Washington, D.C.
Defense Contract Administration Services Management Office, Naval Air Station Sand Point, Seattle, Washington
Chokchai Building, Bangkok, Thailand
Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk, Virginia
Washington, D.C.
Yokota Air Base, Fussa, Japan
Rock Island Arsenal, Rock Island-Moline, Illinois
Warsaw, Missouri
Osan Air Base, Pyeongtaek-si, South Korea
Seoul, South Korea