USAAC Corporal Ernest Walter Holman Jr. was born in Chicago, Illinois on March 2, 1924, the son of Ernest Walter Sr. (1888-1975) and Mabelle C. McClure (McNamara). His father immigrated to American from Cheltenham, England via Hamilton, Canada in 1921 and was now working for the University of Chicago.
For whatever reason, Ernest decided to leave Chicago and come down to sunny Pensacola in or around 1942 where he obtained a room at the local YMCA. He also obtained work at NAS and listed his next of kin as his Uncle Franklin "Frank" Jackson (1882-1954) and maternal Aunt Clara A. (1878-1960) McNamara. His aunt and uncle lived in Holt with Frank the superintendent of the State Game Farm.
Ernest would enlist in Pensacola in the US Army Air Corp on March 10, 1943 and was sent to a number of schools to become a aerial gunner aboard a bomber. Once he completed his training, he was assigned to the 24th Bomber Squadron attached to the 6th Bomber Group of the 313th Bomber Wing. On November 18, 1944, the squadron relocated to the island Tinian (North Field) recently captured by the Marines in August. The sole purpose of taking Tinian was because it was the first island close enough to bomb Japan and return. After its capture, 15,000 Seabees turned the atoll into the busiest airport in the world with four runways long enough for the huge incoming B-29 bombers.
On May 9 and 10, 1945, the high command ordered the massive firebombing of Japan's capital city Tokyo. Over 330 B-29 bombers took off to drop 1,665 tons of napalm bomblets on the unsuspecting masses below. The firestorm would kill over 100,000 people and 16 square miles of the city were destroyed. More firebombing of the city would follow to include Holman's bomber on the night of May 24, 1945. They took off from North Field and headed straight for Japan, arriving around midnight to an already alerted population. But the previous bombings had educated then enemy on what was coming. At times, the firebombing caused the temperatures to reach 1,800 degrees that literally sucked the oxygen from the city asphyxiating those beneath. Even some of the bombers above were lost because the horrific updrafts.
On the night of March 24th, 35 planes were sent aloft with bomber #17 comprised of 2d Lt Joseph Harold Snyder [Pilot], 2d Lt James A. Williams [Co-Pilot], 1st Lt Richard C. Willis [Navigator], 1st Lt Russell Snyder [Bombardier], Sgt William O. Kent [Engineer], Cpl Wyman Lee McKee [Radio], 2d Lt Earle W. Karlson [Radarman], Sgt Richard W. St. Martin [CFC], Sgt Floyd Dale Carlock, Jr. [L Gunner] Sgt Richard G. Hamilton [T Gunner] and of course Corporal Ernest W. Holman, Jr. [R Gunner]. Two bombers were forced to return to base but 33 were able to make their bombing runs. The enemy opposition that night was heavy, especially the anti-aircraft fire that damaged nine planes. But two bombers failed to return from the mission of which Bomber #17 was one of them. The plane and their crew were never heard from again and Corporal Ernest Walter Holman Jr. was gone!
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