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416th Bombardment Group (L) Theron Steventon "Ted" Merritt 1st Lt, Pilot October 27, 1923 - July 29, 1983 670th Bombardment Squadron (L) |
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416th Bombardment Group (L) Theron Steventon "Ted" Merritt 1st Lt, Pilot October 27, 1923 - July 29, 1983 670th Bombardment Squadron (L) |
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Theron Steventon "Ted" Merritt Theron Steventon Merritt was born October 27, 1923 at Boonton, New Jersey to Theron L. and Florence "Flossie" (Steventon) Merritt. His younger siblings were Jean E., Ardith M. and Allen S. Merrit.He enlisted November 12, 1941 in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Newark, NJ, and graduated Pilot training from the Army Advanced Flying School, Luke Field, Phoenix, AZ on February 6, 1943 with the rank of 2nd Lt. During his overseas tour of duty during WWII, he was assigned to the 670th Bombardment Squadron, 416th Bombardment Group (L) as a Douglas A-20 "Havoc" and Douglas A-26 "Invader" pilot. Lt. Merritt flew 21 Combat Missions, but was severely injured February 21, 1945 when a returning aircraft crashed into the 670th BS living area. Theron returned to the United States aboard the medical ship Aquatania, arriving at Brooklyn, New York on May 28, 1945. He remained in the Air Force after WWII, serving in both the Korean and Vietnam wars, and retired with the rank of Lt. Col. Theron married Olive Josephine Boxa on April 16, 1949 in Deadwood, South Dakota. He died July 29, 1983 and is buried in Section Mb Site 151 at the Black Hills National Cemetery, 20901 Pleasant Valley Drive Sturgis, SD 57785 |
Left: Lt Theron S. Merritt and A-20 Havoc during training
Right: Theron S. Merritt recovering at Ft Dix
(Posted to ancestry.com by tketae)
Theron S. "Ted" Merritt and his parents, Flossie and Theron L. Merritt, 1945?, Boonton, NJ
(Posted to ancestry.com by tketae)
L-R: Capt. Donald J. Reichert (670th Bomb Sq. Flight Surgeon);
Lt. William E. "Billy" Brewer, BN; Theron S. "Ted" Merritt, Pilot
at Villaroche, France, December 1944
(Photo courtesy of Wayne Downing)