textwaggoneredwindale1942.html

North High School Wall of Honor
Edwin Dale Waggoner
Class of June, 1942

Research done by Rick Nehrling, class of 1963.

Edwin Dale Waggoner

Dale was a member of North High's class of June, 1942. He enlisted on February 4, 1943 at Camp Dodge, IA. At the time of his enlistment, he was single with no dependents. His service number was 3765944. His next of kin was Mrs. L.L. Waggoner, 1103 University, Des Moines, IA..

Dale was a Staff Sergeant tail gunner aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress attached to the 748th Bomber Squadron, 457th Bomber Group. The plane to which he was assigned was piloted by Lt. Kenneth R. Johnston. He died while coming back from a bombing mission on May 4, 1944. The plane had been hit and damaged. On the way back to England, it appeared that the pilot was going to have to ditch the plane in the ocean. The pilot told the crew to toss everything out of the plane that was not tied down to reduce the weight of the plane and provide a better chance for the crew to survive the ditching. Dale was throwing one of the 50 caliber waist guns out of the plane when the gun accidentally discharged. One of the discharged rounds hit Dale and killed him. At the last moment before ditching the plane, the pilot noticed an airstrip and landed the plane on land. Dale was the only member of the crew to have died on this mission. Award is the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters.


457th Bomber Group	B-17 Flying Fortress	748th Bomber Squadron

Dale is buried at the Cambridge American Cemetery
in Cambridge, England;
His remains are located at Plot C, Row 2, Grave 2

References

The above information was obtained from the following:
(1) The World War II Honor List of Dead and Missing Army and Army Air Forces Personnel were created by the War Department, the Adjutant General's Office, Administrative Services Division, Strength Accounting Branch. The original records are held at the Modern Military records LICON, Textural Services Division (NWCTM), National Archives at College Park, Maryland. The records are available online at http://www.archives.gov/.
The documents contain the latest and most complete information available of all Army and Army Air Force personnel who were killed or died, or became and remained missing between the President's declaration of unlimited national emergency on May 27, 1941, and the cut-off date of this report, January 31, 1946. This document includes both battle and nonbattle dead and missing.

The type of casualty is indicated by the following:

* KIA - Killed in Action. This is an individual who was killed in action at the front, by enemy action in the rear, or if a prisoner of war.

* DOW - Died of Wounds. This is an individual was who wounded and later died.

* DOI - This is an individual who suffered fatal battle injuries and died in a line of duty status.

*DNB - Died Nonbattle. This is an individual who died in a line of duty death, such as from sickness, homicide, suicide, or accidents outside of combat areas (training).

*M - Missing. This is an individual who is reported as missing and later was determined to be dead.

*FOD - Finding of Death. Findings of death fall within Public Law 490 and its amendments and are made when there is either conclusive proof that the person is dead or equally overwhelming evidence that under the circumstances the person could not have remained alive.

This document contains the names of those individuals who died in the line of duty status. Those individuals who were not in the line of duty at the time of their death are not listed in this document.

(2)The World War II Army Enlistment Records contain information on more than 9 million individual enlistments. These records can be found online at http://www.archives.gov/.

(3) The American Battle Monuments Commission was established in 1923 to commemorate the service, achievements, and sacrifice of US Armed Forces. There are 24 overseas cemeteries that serve as the final resting places for almost 125,000 American war dead. The servicemen and women are listed on tablets of the missing that memorialize these men and women. These records can be found online at http://www.abmc.gov/home.php.

(4) The comprehensive list of names from North High's 1893-2018 graduation classes are from Claradell Shedd's North Des Moines High School website. The names of North High School graduates can be found online at: http://www.ndmhs.com. Edwin Dale Waggoner's 1942 class page is: http://www.ndmhs.com/pages/yearclass1942(1987.45).html.

Killed in action. Died May 4, 1944.

Music: "Wind Beneath My Wings"