Rank and Name, Lieutenant Jay Darwin Bacon Jr.
Unit/Placed in, , Patrol Squadron VP-51 (PB4Y1), United States Naval Reserve.
The PB4Y-1 Liberator was the Navy’s version of the Army Air Force B-24. Frank was part of a bombing mission that included 9 PB4Y-1 Liberator’s, 10 P-38 Lightnings, and twelve F4U Corsairs. The entire group was attacked by 30 Japanese A6M Zeros & about 15 A6M2-N floatplanes. Two of the 9 PB4Y-1 Liberator’s, 4 P-38G’s, and 2 F4U-1 Corsair’s were lost in this mission. This mission became known as the “Saint Valentine’s Day Massacre” since a total of 26 Navy and Air Force servicemen were lost.
Jay is born approx. on 28 April 1916 in Colorado.
Father, Jay D. Bacon Sr.
Mother, Harriett (Chestnut) Bacon.
Sister(s), Marjorie Bacon.
Spouse, Barbara M. (Hinshaw) Bacon.
Jay enlisted the service in California with service number # 0-079900.
Jay‘s Crew-members on-board the plane a PB4Y-1 were,
Lt. Jay D. Bacon Jr. Pilot
Ensign Edward J Kolazyk Co Pilot
Aom2c. Frank E. Atkins
Arm2. William Barber
Arm1. Frank L. Betz Jr
Amm1. Jessie L. Henderson
Amm2. Norman L. North
Amm2. John M. Walker
Amm2. Oscar K. Ward
Amm3. Roy R. Wells
Aom3. Joseph H. Zattera
Jay was KIA during the Island Strike on Bougainville, when he was attack by several enemy Fighters, and was shot down on Feb. 14, 1943, he is honored with a Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, Combat Action Ribbon, Good Conduct Medal, Expeditionary Medal, American Campaign Medal, Navy & Marine Presidential Unit Citation, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal.
Jay is buried/mentioned at Manila American Cemetery and Memorial Manila, Metro Manila, National Capital Region, Philippines.
Walls of the missing.
Thanks to Mission-Info; https://pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/pb4y-1/bacon.html
Plane-Info; https://pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/pb4y-1/31950.html
Date-Info; https://pacificwrecks.com/date/1943/02/14.html
https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LR6K-HPF
Jean Louis Vijgen, ww2-Pacific.com and ww2-europe.com.
Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.
ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov
Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker
Seabees History Bob Smith https://seabeehf.org/
Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org
POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.
Philippine Info, http://www.philippine-scouts.org/ Robert Capistrano
National Historian
Navy Seal Memorial, http://www.navysealmemorials.com
Family Info, https://www.familysearch.org
Info, https://www.pacificwrecks.com/
Medals Info, https://www.honorstates.org
Find a Grave, https://www.findagrave.com
Tank Destroyers, http://www.bensavelkoul.nl/
Jay Darwin Bacon
HOME OF RECORD:
Everett, Washington
AWARDS BY DATE OF ACTION:1 of 1
Distinguished Flying Cross
AWARDED FOR ACTIONS
DURING World War II
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant
GENERAL ORDERS:
CITATION:
The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Jay Darwin Bacon (NSN: 0-79900), United States Navy, for extraordinary achievement while participating in numerous combat flights during the periods 1 to 9 June 1942, and 27 January 1943 to 14 February 1943; and for the daylight bombardment of Bougainville on 14 February 1943.
