USAAC Staff Sergeant James Fonzo Black was born in Alabama on September 29, 1913, the son of Columbus Rousseau Black (1875-1939) and Tobitha Angeline Wiggins (1885-1958). The family appears in the census as early as 1920 where his father was supporting the family as a house carpenter. Ten years later, the family was living in Creamer's Mill with his father now working in a sawmill. In 1940, his father had returned to farming as his children had gotten older while their address had changed to Century.
After Fonzo's graduation from Poplar Dell School in Century, he went to work for a lumber mill as a laborer but unfortunately WWII was just around the corner. He would enlist in the US Army Air Corps in 1941 and upon completion of his training he was assigned to the 428th Bomb Squadron of the 310th Bombardment Group. The squadron was stationed at Menzel Temime Airfield in Tunisia as of August 5, 1943. His assignment and training was as a tail gunner on a Mitchell B-25 medium bomber. The squadron was flying psychological warfare missions by dropping propaganda leaflets behind enemy lines. From March to May of 1943, they were flying missions in North Africa and bombing Pantelleria and Lampdeusa Islands in June. Then came the invasion of Sicily in July followed by the landing at Salerno in September.
During his service he took part of an attack on an enemy plane convoy along with P-38 Lightning fighters that shot down 25 enemy aircraft. On September 7, 1943, he was shot down with his crew on a bombing mission to Sicily. None of them survived or were recovered. A memorial grave marker was placed in his memory in the Byrneville Methodist Church Cemetery, Escambia County, Florida where his family is buried.
With the passing of his father in 1939, his widowed mother in Century was notified of his status along with this sister Jodie Newton of 311 East Intendencia Street and brother Paul Hercules 21 South Devilliers Street.
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