Freeman Army Air Field
Seymour, Indiana
CLASS 44-I
Class Graduation Date (1944) No.
Enrolled 		 No.
Graduated 		2nd
Lieuts. 		Flight
Officers		 Eliminated Killed  Held Over
44-I November 20   141     6 0 6

 

Bachman, Jay G.

44 I

Ballard, 2nd Lt. James A.

44 I

Barker, 2nd Lt. Thomas W.

44 I

Barrack, Joseph N.

44 I

Bechtel, Robert C.

44 I

Bellemore, Frederick C.

44 I

Biermann, Robert N.

44 I

Bigelow, James H.

44 I

Bowker, Gerald W.

44 I

Bradshaw, Charles W.

44 I

Brennan, William E.

44 I

Caldwell, Lawrence L.

44 I

Calkins, Jr., Victor

44 I

Carpenter, Roger L.

44 I

Chatt, Orville K.

44 I

Chungle, Andrew B.

44 I

Clarke, James T.

44 I

Cole, Calvin F.

44 I

Collins, Donald M.

44 I

Conley, Thomas L.

44 I

Conover, Jr,John M.

44 I

Conroy, Jr., Coleman 'I'.

44 I

Corner, James E.

44 I

Costly, Clyde R.

44 I

Couche, Charles A.

44 I

Cowan, Eugene D.

44 I

Crail, Junior P.

44 I

Crane, Spencer A.

44 I

Creith, Jr., Lou C.

44 I

Crumley, Paul M.

44 I

Cummins, George A.

44 I

Cushing, Jr., Robert A.

44 I

Dahlmann, Elmer J.

44 I

Danner, Herbert I.

44 I

Daugherty, Jr., Harry A.

44 I

Davidek, William J.

44 I

Davidson, Chalmer P.

44 I

Davis, James E.

44 I

Davis, Jr., John B.

44 I

Dearmin, Dallas G.

44 I

DeFelice, Alfred J.

44 I

DeGonia, Delmont L.

44 I

Dinwiddie, Edwin P.

44 I

Donahue, Henry A.

44 I

Druzak, Joseph

44 I

Fawks, Charles E.

44 I

Frain, Lyman U.

44 I

Francois, George K.

44 I

Furgeson, Bobby G.

44 I

Furman, Clarence J.

44 I

Gaines, William L.

44 I

Garber, Jr., 1st Lt. Cleland W.

44 I

Grimmett, Jr., 2nd Lt. Clarence A.

44 I

Hale, Capt. William L.

44 I

Hall, Chaplain Russell M.

44 I

Hancock, Marion D.

44 I

Harp, Richard D.

44 I

Hasbrook, Carleton R.

44 I

Hatcliff, Leonard L.

44 I

Hellam, George T.

44 I

Hill, Sidney W.

44 I

Hoffer, George R.

44 I

Hudd, Robert H.

44 I

Jeanroy, Roger A.

44 I

Jepson, John

44 I

Kayne, Harvey L.

44 I

Keenan, Milton

44 I

Keene, John T.

44 I

Kieffer, Jr., William L.

44 I

King, William B.

44 I

Kinzel, Leroy A.

44 I

Kolb, Albert J.

44 I

Kovacic, 1st Lt. Edward

44 I

Kretschmar, Eric P.

44 I

Krieg, William J.

44 I

Kukla, Thomas

44 I

Laflfi, Fred J.

44 I

Lambert, James F.

44 I

Levine, Leonard

44 I

Lewis, Richard M.

44 I

Lincoln, Robert A.

44 I

Lockwood, Thomas J.

44 I

Long, Harvey S.

44 I

Lovell, Jr., Robert C.

44 I

Lundquist, Roger S.

44 I

Lyons, James R.

44 I

MacManus, Frank E.

44 I

Martin, John D.

44 I

Maxam, 2nd Lt. Eugene C.

44 I

McDonald, Harlan W.

44 I

McElmoyle, 2nd Lt. Milford H.,

44 I

McPhee, Donald

44 I

Meader, John H.

44 I

Meister, Orville C.

44 I

Michel, Frank H.

44 I

Minnehan, Philip L.

44 I

Mitchell, John C.

44 I

Moore, Roger N.

44 I

Morgan, Jr., Walter L.

44 I

Morphew, Paul E.

44 I

Murphy, Jr., Cecil L.

44 I

Noland, Carroll E.

44 I

Obert, Robert J.

44 I

Offerman, Joseph H.

44 I

O'Neill, Harry F.

44 I

Pappalardo, Salvatore T.

44 I

Park, Richard J.

44 I

Parr, Henry L.

44 I

Patterson, Joe

44 I

Paul, Norman S.

44 I

Petticrew, Robert T.

44 I

Pick, Sanford

44 I

Pickering, Thomas A.

44 I

Piechowicz, Alexander T.

44 I

Pleau, Lawrence H.,

44 I

Pyper, Peter E.

44 I

Quillen, Robert I.

44 I

Rawley, John H.

44 I

Reed, Robert H.

44 I

Robbins, Kenton E.,

44 I

Robinson, Douglas M.

44 I

Rodkin, Glenn

44 I

Rogers , Paul N.

44 I

Rowell, Jr., Robert L.

44 I

Rowland, Ronald H.

44 I

Rudolph, Charles W.

44 I

Russell, Joseph M.

44 I

Sadowski, Jack

44 I

Salo, Eli

44 I

Seeber, George

44 I

Seibert, Harold E.

44 I

Shaw, James G.

44 I

Sims, Jr., Odis V.

44 I

Smith, Clyde B.

44 I

Smith, Jr., Roscoe C.

44 I

Sparkman, Paul R.

44 I

Stephens, Bobby H.

44 I

Strong, William C.

44 I

Swartz, Jr., Earl N.

44 I

Thompson, Forrest S.

44 I

Tinker, Joseph R.

44 I

Torongo, John R.

44 I

Turner, 1st Lt. Blake E.

44 I

Turner, 1st Lt. Blake E.

44 I

Vant, Donald James

44 I

Wadman, Harold W.

44 I

Weyant, Robert L.

44 I

Wiley, 1st Lt. John

44 I

Withington, Richard F.

44 I
Lyman U. Frain's Military Flying Career

The following is an outline of Lyman U. Frain's military flying career. It includes his time as an aviation cadet and B-24 bomber co-pilot in WWII, flying in the Berlin Airlift, piloting C-54s and C-119s in the Korean War, and covert C-119 flight operations supporting the French in Vietnam.

World War II

Enlisted (May 4, 1943)

Basic Training

Basic Training Center (BTC) 10, Greensboro North Carolina (May 1943- June 1943)

College Training Detachment

326th CTD, High Point College, North Carolina (June 4, 1943 - October 15, 1943)

Classification

Nashville Army Air Center (AAC), Tennessee. (October - December 4, 1943 )

Preflight

Maxwell Army Air Field (AAF), Alabama. (December 5, 1943 - March 26, 1944)

Primary

Lakeland Army Air Field (AAF), Florida. (late March 1944 - May 23, 1944)*

Basic

Courtland Army Air Field (AAF), Alabama (June 1944 - August 1944)*

Advanced

Freeman Army Air Field (AAF), Indiana (August 5, 1944 - October 19, 1944)

Harlingen Army Air Field (AAF), Texas (October 22, 1944 - November 20, 1944)

Crew Assembly

Westover Army Air Field (AAF), Massachusetts (December 4, 1944 - December 25, 1944)

Combat Crew Training

Charleston Army Air Field (AAF), South Carolina (January 1945 - April 1945)*

Northern Transatlantic Route to Giulia Field, Italy. (April 16, 1945 - April 30, 1945)

* denotes approximate dates. Prior to October 16, 1944 training phases were 9 weeks. After this time, and additional 5 weeks were added due to reduced crew loss rate in Europe. I would like to get documentation that would firm up these dates.

Berlin Air Lift

RAF Burtonwood 

Korean War

The Blue Tail Flies

Ashiya Air Force Base, Japan

IndoChina

Covert U.S. Air Force Operations in Support of the French in Indochina (1953-1954)

Tourane (Da Nang), Indochina
Advanced Multi-engine Training

My father then went onto advanced flying school at Freeman AAF, Seymour, Indiana. At this station, they trained in twin engine AT-10 Wichitas.

On October 16, 1944 the army ordered all flight training phases to be extended from 9 to 14 weeks due to dwindling requirements for replacement crews overseas. On October 22, 1944 my father was sent with a portion of the Freeman Class 44-I to four engine copilot training in B-24 Liberators in Harlingen AAF, Texas.

Class 44-I finally received their pilot’s wings on November 20, 1944, with separate commissioning ceremonies at Freeman and Harlingen.

The following documents were kindly supplied to me by James D. West of the Indiana Military Organization, www.IndianaMilitary.org

  • Announcement of Class 44-I Graduation in Freeman AAF base newpaper.

Twingine Times, volume 2, number 38, November 17, 1944.

Page 1 2 3 4 (Text of Article)
  • Class 44-I Graduation Program.

(list of Harlingen cadets on back of program, page 1)

Page 1 2

My father then went home to Philadelphia for a few days of leave with his father Lyman Sr. and his brother Donald. He then went on to Westover AAF, MA to be assigned to a B-24 combat crew.

  • 'Local Boy Receives Wings', clipping from a Philadelphia area paper. My father carried this clipping in his wallet for the rest of his life.

Twingine Times
November 17, 1944

Monday's Graduation is First Since "Freeze".  Part of Class will get Wings at Texas base.  Freeman's first class of aviation cadets to be graduated since a five week extension was placed on the flying training program on October 16, will receive their wings and appointments as flight officers or commissions as second lieutenants in dual graduation exercises on Monday.  The exercises at Freeman Field will be held in the Post Theater beginning at 11:00 am.  Members of Class 44-I, the seventeenth class to receive advanced two-engine training here, separated into two sections on October 22 when a section of the class was sent to Harlingen, Texas, for co-pilot training in four-engine aircraft.  The men in Texas also will be graduated on Monday.

Exercises at Harlingen will be conducted by Major Norman R. Wood and Lt. Louis Rosenthal, who flew down yesterday to arrange the program.  They were accompanied by S/Sgt James R. Golightly and Sgt John R, Leahy, who will assist the officers in issuing final papers and paying the graduating cadets.  The men were flown to Harlingen by Capts. King Mathews and Lawrence White.

The 705th Band will open the ceremonies here with the National Anthem, followed by the invocation given by Chaplain Daniel A. McGuire.  Col E. T. Rundquist, commanding officer, will then intro duce Capt. Donald J. McGibbon, who will deliver the commencement address.

Capt. McGibbon was a night fighter pilot in New Guinea and had completed 61 missions on twenty-seven months overseas.  His speech will deal principally with his experiences in the South Pacific area.

Capt. William Hale, personnel officer, will announce the names of graduates, while Major Robert J. DuChaine, deputy for training and operations will administer the oath of office, and Chaplain Russell M. Hall will pronounce the benediction.
Page last revised 01/10/2007