Richard James Poulsen, b. 24 November 1921 – d. 1 June 1945 (KIA).

Enlisted (ASN: 19111365) as a Private in the Army Air Corps on 18 July 1942 at Hammer Field near Fresno, California. He was selected for aviation cadet training and assigned to Santa Ana Army Air Base near Costa Mesa, California completing basic military training and pre-flight ground school. The next cadet phase was Primary flight training at Thunderbird Field #1 near Glendale, Arizona; and Basic flight training at Minter Field near Shafter, California.

On 2 December 1943, he graduated with Class 43-K for Advanced multi-engine flight training at Marfa Army Air Field, Texas and was commissioned (ASN: O-761186) a Second Lieutenant in the USAAF. Subsequently, he underwent four-engine transition training at Walker Field near Roswell, New Mexico; and B-29 aircraft operational combat crew training at Smoky Hill Army Air Field near Salina, Kansas.

In November 1944, he deployed from Mather Field, California (with re-fueling stops at Hawaii and Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands) to the central pacific theatre of operations and was assigned to 20th Air Force, XXI Bomber Command, 73rd Bomb Wing, 499th Bombardment Group (Very Heavy), 877th Bomb Squadron Stationed at Isley Field on Saipan in the Mariana Islands.

On 1 June 1945, he flew in the right seat as a Pilot aboard a Boeing B-29 Super Fortress nicknamed the “Flying Fool” (serial #44-70083) tail code V-Square-8.

It was one of 458 aircraft launched in a multi-wing formation to bombard the urban area of Osaka, Japan. After a flight of approximately six hours and some 1,200 nautical miles, his aircraft reached their check-point above Mount Fuji on the main island of Honshu, and began their bomb-run southwest towards Osaka.

While over the target at an altitude of 20,000 feet, the nose of his aircraft was hit with flak by anti-aircraft guns from a Japanese war ship in Osaka Bay and crashed, with no parachutes seen opening. He was initially listed as MIA, and declared Killed-In-Action one year later.

His last remains were interred at a cemetery on Awaji Island, Japan. Note: In 1949 his remains were transferred to Washington Colony Cemetery at Easton, California.

Richard J Poulsen