Lt Col J. V. Booker

Lt Col J. V. Booker

The picture of LtCol. J. V. Booker, from Arlington, Texas, was taken at his desk in his office. The Commanding Officer entered the Corps in June of 1942. He attended preflight training in Athens, Ga. Earned his wings and commission April 1943 as a 2nd Lt. and joined VMF-218 at Mojave where he flew Corsairs. Deployed to the South Pacific shortly thereafter seeing action at Bouganville and the Bismark-Archipelago area from Dec 43 to Nov 1944.
As a Captain he was Commanding Officer of VMO-3 in China during 1946.
In July of 1950 he became the first Marine Pilot to fly a mission over Korea. One month and 25 mission later he was shot down just north of the 38th parallel. Suffering from bayonet wounds he was captured and transported to a POW camp near the Russian border which was the 1st of 13 POW camps that he encountered over the next three years. He was in the last group of prisoners to be exchanged in September 1953.
Promoted to LtCol. 1 July 1960.
He became Wagecut One, Skipper of the Death Angels in April 1962. Took the squadron to Atsugi in Jan 1963.
As of 1963 he held the Distinguished Flying Cross w/ 3 stars, Air Medal w/13 stars, Purple Heart, PUC w/4 stars,American Defense Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign w/1 star, WWII Victory Medal, China Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal w/1 star, United Nation Service Medal and the Korean PUC.
Other than this , he was one hell of a good old man.

Photo courtesy of Don Davis

The picture of LtCol. J. V. Booker, from Arlington, Texas, was taken at his desk in his office. The Commanding Officer entered the Corps in June of 1942. He attended preflight training in Athens, Ga. Earned his wings and commission April 1943 as a 2nd Lt. and joined VMF-218 at Mojave where he flew Corsairs. Deployed to the South Pacific shortly thereafter seeing action at Bouganville and the Bismark-Archipelago area from Dec 43 to Nov 1944. As a Captain he was Commanding Officer of VMO-3 in China during 1946. In July of 1950 he became the first Marine Pilot to fly a mission over Korea. One month and 25 mission later he was shot down just north of the 38th parallel. Suffering from bayonet wounds he was captured and transported to a POW camp near the Russian border which was the 1st of 13 POW camps that he encountered over the next three years. He was in the last group of prisoners to be exchanged in September 1953. Promoted to LtCol. 1 July 1960. He became Wagecut One, Skipper of the Death Angels in April 1962. Took the squadron to Atsugi in Jan 1963. As of 1963 he held the Distinguished Flying Cross w/ 3 stars, Air Medal w/13 stars, Purple Heart, PUC w/4 stars,American Defense Campaign Medal, Asiatic Pacific Campaign w/1 star, WWII Victory Medal, China Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal w/1 star, United Nation Service Medal and the Korean PUC. Other than this , he was one hell of a good old man.
Photo courtesy of Don Davis

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