This Military Service Page was created/owned by
AB Raymond Guinn
to remember
Patrick, Melton Dewey, Sgt.
If you knew or served with this Airman and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Casualty Info
Home Town Walnut
Last Address Borneo
Casualty Date Nov 16, 1944
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Sea
Location Pacific Ocean
Conflict World War II/Asian-Pacific Theater
Location of Interment Buried at Sea, Pacific Ocean
Wall/Plot Coordinates Tablets of the Missing Manilla
PROFILE UNDER CONSTRUCTION AND IS INCOMPLETE
Further editing needed
Sgt. Patrick served as a gunner and radioman with the 23rd Bomber Squadron, 5th Bomber Group, Heavy, 13th AIr Force, U.S. Army Air Forces in the South Pacific.
He entered the AAF on 22 April 1943 at Camp Shelby, Mississippi from Tennessee. Training at Tyndall Field, Florida; Muroc, California; and Sioux Falls South Dakota. He entered the PTO in July 1944.
His aircraft, B-24J (#44-40962), flew a bombing mission from Morotai Island to bomb the Japanese fleet at Brunei Bay, North Borneo.
Though successful, the aircraft was hit by AAA, while returning, and went down southwest of Siau (Siaoe) Island, Sangihe Group, Dutch East Indies (Indonesia) in the Celebese Sea. Though 4 men were rescued in the water by a Catalina aircraft on the following day off Talaud Island, the rest were never found. Two other bombers were also lost on this mission.
Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) 10844.
Crew:
1st Lt. Wyatt A. Norris, pilot (MIA/KIA)
2nd Lt. Grant N. Hansen, co pilot (MIA/KIA)
2nd Lt. Frederick Zimmerli, bombardier (MIA/KIA)
SSgt. Charles D. Crum, radio operator (MIA/KIA)
Sgt. Albert T. Chapman, Jr., gunner (MIA/KIA)
Sgt. Melton D. Patrick, assistant radio operator/gunner (MIA/KIA)
2nd Lt. Carlos C. Page, navigator (Rescued)
SSgt. Thomas J. Honsowitz , engineer, (Rescued)
Sgt. Paul P. Makuchan, gunner/assistant engineer, (Rescued)
Sgt. Edwin I. Mills, gunner, (Rescued)
Memorial in New Salem Primitive Baptist Church Cemetery, Walnut, Mississippi.
Comments/Citation:
Military Photo: Can be found at
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56784699/melton-dewey-patrick
