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Casualty Info
Home Town Huntington Park, California
Last Address Mediouna Airfield, French Morocco
Casualty Date Jan 04, 1943
Cause MIA-Finding of Death
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Land
Location Tunisia
Conflict World War II/Asian-Pacific Theater
Location of Interment North Africa American Cemetery - Tunis, Tunisia
Draper was an American athlete, winner of a gold medal in the 400 meter relay at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin on 9 August. He ran the third leg in the American 400 meter relay team, which won the gold medal with a new world record of 39.8. This team consisted of Ralph Metcalfe, Jesse Owens, and anchor, Frank Wykoff. As a University of Southern California student, Foy Draper won the IC4A (Intercollegiate Association of Amateur Athletes of America) championships in the 200 meter in 1935.
In 1940, Draper enlisted in the Army Air Corps and did his pilot training in San Antonio. He was shipped to North Africa following his training and served as a pilot on a twin-engine attack bomber A-20B 'Havoc' in Thelepte, Tunisia with the 97th Squadron, 47th Bomb Group. On Jan 4, 1943, Draper took off to fly to Fonduck, Tunisia to take part in the Battle of Kassarine Pass. Draper and his two crewmen, SSgt. Kenneth Gasser and SSgt. Sidney Holland, never returned and their death date is usually given as Feb 1, 1943.
It is possible he was born in 1913 instead of 1911.
Stations for the 47th Bombardment Group (Light):
McChord Field, Wash, 15 Jan 1941
Fresno, Calif, 14 Aug 1941
Will Rogers Field, Okla, c. 16 Feb 1942
Greensboro, NC, c. 16 Jul-18 Oct 1942
Mediouna, French Morocco, 18 Nov 1942
Youks-les-Bains, Algeria, 7 Jan 1943
Canrobert, Algeria, 6 Mar 1943
Thelepte, Tunisia, 30 Mar 1943
