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SSgt Harry McCown (Mac)
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Eagleston, Glenn Todd (Eagle), Col.
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Contact Info
Home Town Farmington, Utah
Last Address San Clemente, California
Date of Passing May 07, 1991
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Glenn Eagleston was born on March 12, 1921, in Utah. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps on August 8, 1940, and entered the Aviation Cadet Program on January 31, 1942. Eagleston was commissioned a 2LT and awarded his pilot wings on September 29, 1942, and was assigned to the 79th Fighter Squadron of the 20th Fighter Group, flying the P-39 Airacobra from September 1942 to January 1943. He then transferred to the 353rd Fighter Squadron of the 354th Fighter Group and deployed with that Group to England in October 1943, flying P-51 Mustangs. Maj Eagleston was made commander of the 353rd Fighter Squadron in October 1944 and deputy commander of the 354th Fighter Group in May 1945. He returned from Europe in October 1945. During World War II, Maj Eagleston was credited with the destruction of 18.5 enemy aircraft in aerial combat. He served as assistant director of operations and training at Dover Field, Delaware, from February to June 1946, and then as commander of Dow Field, Maine, from July to September 1946. Col Eagleston completed Jet Fighter Pilot School at Williams Field, Arizona, in January 1947, and then served at Newark, New Jersey, until February 1949. He served as Operations Officer for the 33rd Fighter Group at Otis AFB, Massachusetts, from February to July 1949, and then attended Air Command and Staff School at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, from July 1949 to January 1950. He was then made commander of the 60th Fighter Squadron at Otis AFB, where he served until November 1950, when he became commander of the 334th Fighter Interceptor Squadron in Korea. Col Eagleston became commander of the 4th Fighter Interceptor Group in May 1951, and he returned to the United States in September 1951. During the Korean War, he added 2 aerial victory credits to his record, bringing his two-war total to 20.5 enemy aircraft destroyed in aerial combat. He next served as commander of the 103rd Fighter Interceptor Group and then Deputy Base Commander at Suffolk County AFB, New York, from September 1951 to April 1952. He was Director of Operations and Training at Headquarters Eastern Air Defense Force at Stewart AFB, New York, from April 1952 to October 1953, when he became commander of the 4750th Training Group at Vincent AFB, Arizona. Eagleston became Deputy Commander of the 4750th Air Defense Wing, also at Vincent AFB, in June 1955, and then served as Director of Operations of the 313th Air Division followed by duty as commander of the 6313th Air Base Wing, both at Kadena AB, Okinawa, until July 1960. He was next made Base Commander for the 4756th Air Base Group at Tyndall AFB, Florida, where he served from July 1960 to April 1962. This was followed by duty as Deputy Commander and then Commander of the 2478th AFRS at Long Beach Municipal Airport, California, from April 1962 to July 1965, when he was made Director of Maintenance for the 25th Air Division at McChord AFB, Washington. His final assignment was as Director of Material for Seattle Air Defense Sector at McChord AFB, from February 1966 until his retirement from the Air Force on February 28, 1967. Glenn Eagleston died on May 7, 1991.
Other Comments:
General Orders for his Distinguished Service Cross reads:
The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Glen T. Eagleston (0-730417), Captain (Air Corps), U.S. Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-51 Fighter Airplane in the 353d Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, NINTH Air Force, in aerial combat against enemy forces on 29 October 1944, in the European Theater of Operations. On this date Captain Eagleston shot down three enemy aircraft in a single mission. Captain Eagleston's unquestionable valor in aerial combat is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 9th Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces
Korean War/CCF Intervention (1950-51)
From Month/Year
October / 1950
To Month/Year
January / 1951
Description With Chinese troops fighting in North Korea against UN forces, on November 3, 1950, UN troops, under the protection of Fifth Air Force close air support, began to withdraw to the Chongchon River in northwest Korea. On November 8 FEAF bombed the city of Sinuiju. the gateway from Korea to Manchuria on the Yalu River. Chinese MiG-15 jet aircraft engaged the F-80 jets flying cover for the U.S. bombers, and in the first all-jet aerial combat, an American pilot scored a victory against a MiG. During the rest of November, FEAF medium and light bombers, along with U.S. Navy aircraft, attacked bridges over the Yalu River and supply centers along the Korean side of the river. The operations against bridges were usually unsuccessful because the bombers had to fly parallel to the river to avoid violating Chinese air space. B-29s also dropped their bombs from at least 20,000 feet to avoid flak.
Nevertheless on November 25 the bombers destroyed a span of a railroad bridge at Manpojin, 150 miles north of Pyongyang, and on November 26 two spans of a highway bridge at Chongsongjin. 110 miles northwest of Pyongyang. The Communists simply built pontoon bridges or, as winter set in, crossed the Yalu on the ice. The B-29s did destroy North Korean supply centers, thus forcing the enemy to disperse its supplies or to hold them in Manchuria until needed. The United Nations Command planned a new offensive, unaware of the extent of the Chinese involvement.
Even as General MacArthur kicked off the offensive on November 25-26, 1950, the Communist forces also launched a major attack, driving both the Eighth Army in northwest Korea and the X Corps in northeast Korea southward. In the Chosin Reservoir area, the U.S. 1st Marine Division was surrounded. Between December 1 and 11, the FEAF Combat Cargo Command, commanded by Maj. Gen. William H. Tunner, airlifted over 1,500 tons of supplies to the embattled Marines. FEAF pilots even dropped 8 bridge spans so that the Marines could build a bridge across a gorge. The division finally broke through the Chinese troops to UN lines near Hungnam, an east coast seaport 100 miles northeast of Pyongyang.
The U.S. Navy, with some assistance from FEAF airlifters, evacuated the X Corps from Wonsan on December 5-15 and from Hungnam on December 15-24, leaving northeast Korea to the Communist forces. On the 27th the X Corps passed to the control of the Eighth Army, and by the end of the month, Gen. Douglas MacArthur, UN Commander, had placed Lt. Gen. Matthew B. Ridgway, who had just arrived in Korea to replace General Walker, in control of all UN ground forces in Korea. Meanwhile, the FEAF had brought additional C-54s to Korea to meet the demands of the ground forces for theater airlift, and the air force began moving its tighter units, including a squadron of South African Air Force fighters, to airfields in North Korea, in order to meet the close air support needs of UN troops.
The appearance of the MiG-15 jet fighter in November 1950 threatened UN air superiority over Korea because the MiG outperformed available U.S. aircraft. The FEAF requested the newest and best jet fighters, and on December 6, less than a month later, the 27th Fighter-Escort Wing, flying F-84 Thunderjets, arrived at Taegu. Then on December 15 the 4th Fighter-Interceptor Wing flew its first mission in Korea in F86 Sabrejets. Less than a week later, on the 22nd, the F-86 pilots shot down 6 MiG-15s, losing only 1 Sabrejet. The newer jet fighters permitted the UN Command to maintain air superiority. During December 1950 the FEAF flew interdiction and armed reconnaissance missions that helped slow the advancing Chinese armies. B-29s and B-26s bombed bridges, tunnels, marshaling yards, and supply centers.
When the Chinese troops resorted to daytime travel north of Pyongyang in pursuit of the Eighth Army, Fifth Air Force pilots killed or wounded an estimated 33,000 enemy troops within 2 weeks. By mid-December Communist forces were moving only at night, though still advancing. On January 1, 1951, Communist forces crossed the 38th parallel and 3 days later entered Seoul behind retreating UN troops. Finally, on January 15 UN forces halted the Chinese and North Korean armies 50 miles south of the 38th parallel, on a line from Pyongtaek on the west coast to Samchok on the east coast.
