B-17 THUNDERBIRD

David K.S. Chang Biography

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David K.S. Chang

Read: Chang's Bomber Mission Notes

I was born in Honolulu, Hawaii May 9, 1919. I graduated in 1938 from St. Louis College (renamed St. Louis School) in Honolulu. It was a Catholic high school for boys taught by the Marianist Brothers.

I was a civilian employee at Hickam Field at the time of the Pearl Harbor attack. I enlisted in the Air Corps in February, 1942. I was accepted for Air Cadet training in late 1942 and was shipped to Santa Ana, California for Pre-Flight Training. I completed Bombardier Training July 31, 1943 in Deming, New Mexico. First Phase training on the B-17 was at Pyote, Texas. Second Phase was in Alexandria, Louisiana, and Third Phase was in Dyersberg, Tennessee.

The crew and I left New York on the liner Queen Elizabeth and zig-zagged across the Atlantic without an escort. After nine days, we arrived in Greenock, Scotland. From there we went on to Molesworth, England to begin our combat.

AWARDS:
Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters
Distinguished Flying Cross
Presidential Unit Citation

I had two sons, Gerald and Vernon (both deceased) and one daughter. My daughter Lorna, her husband Larry and children live in Makakilo, Oahu. My two grandchildren are Larry Jr. and Alana.

I retired from the Honolulu Gas Company in 1981 after a career in sales and promotion.