Profiles in Georgia National Guard Leadership: Col. Sheftall Coleman Jr.

 By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

On July 12, 1958, Major Sheftall Coleman Jr., World War II flying ace and second-generation Georgia Guardsman assumed command of the Georgia Air National Guard’s 158^th Fighter Squadron in Savannah, Ga. The son of Col. Sheftall Coleman Sr. who commanded the 118^th Field Artillery Regiment in the years leading up to World War II, Coleman Jr. served in two wars and led the 158^th through a critical time in its history.

Col. Sheftall Coleman Sr. Commander, 118th FAR.

Early Life and Father’s Service

Sheftall Coleman Jr. was born Feb. 5, 1922 to Sheftall Sr. and Inez Coleman of Savannah. The younger Sheftall grew up with military service as a constant in his life. The elder Coleman, a 1912 graduate of Oglethorpe Business College had enlisted in the Republican Blues, Company M, 1st Georgia Infantry February 24, 1908 and had risen to the rank of sergeant before commissioning as a second lieutenant June 24, 1916.[1] Lieutenant Coleman mobilized with the 1^st Georgia to the Mexican Border in 1916 and upon returning in 1917 was promoted to 1^st lieutenant. He served stateside through World War I[2] and upon reorganization of the Georgia National Guard field artillery in 1921 was commissioned a captain in Headquarters Company, 1^st Field Artillery. Five years later, he was appointed major and placed in command of the 1^st Battalion 118^th Field Artillery in Savannah. Promotion to lieutenant colonel followed in 1926. After a stint as executive officer of the 118^th Field Artillery Regiment, Coleman was promoted to colonel and placed in command of the 118^th May 30, 1931 upon the retirement of Col. Walter R. Neal.[3]

The younger Coleman grew up with his father’s military influence in a multi-generational household that included his grandparents Ernest and Elizabeth Mickler. The extended family provided continuity for the Coleman family as Col. Coleman attended to his military duties. Coleman Jr. attended Sacred Heart elementary School and later Benedictine High School. Tragedy struck the Coleman family when Inez died Dec. 29, 1935.

In 1940, on the eve of World War II, the elder Coleman remained in command of the 118^th Field Artillery Regiment and was employed as a senior field deputy with the state unemployment office. The younger Coleman, while still in high school, worked as an excavator for the National Park Service.[4]

World War II

On Sept. 16, 1940, Col. Coleman and the 118^th FAR were called to active federal service. The younger Coleman completed one year of college before enlisting in the Army Air Corps April 2, 1942. He completed his flying training at Luke Field, Ariz. and was commissioned a second lieutenant. He was mobilized to the European Theater and flew the P-51 Mustang on fighter escort missions and was severely wounded during an engagement in 1944. Lieutenant Coleman received the Distinguished Flying Cross for actions over enemy territory Aug 25, 1944. The award was presented for:

“Outstanding courage and flying skill in vigorously pressing home an attack upon superior numbers of enemy aircraft. In the face of overwhelming odds, he exhibited remarkable calm and aggressive tactical technique and was successful in the destruction of one of the hostile planes while assisting in the dispersal of the remainder.”

In the course of 120 combat missions, Coleman shot down seven enemy aircraft and assisted in the destruction of an eighth. His victories were reaped against ME 109s, FW 190s He 111s and JU 88s. Coleman left active duty at the end of World War II with the rank of major.

Georgia National Guard Service

Maj. Sheftall Coleman Jr. 

In February 1947, Coleman joined the Georgia National Guard’s 158^th Fighter Squadron.[5] He served during the Korean War i and returned to Georgia following the conflict. On June 7, 1952, Coleman and his wife Sara welcomed son Michael Eugene Coleman into the world.[6]

In August 1954, Capt. Coleman was one of five pilots of the 158^th brought on active duty for stand-by
service at Travis Field in support of American air defense.[7] He remained on active duty through the remainder of 1954.[8]

Major Coleman was alerted for an unscheduled mission in September 1956. While on runway alert duty at Travis Field, Coleman received the order to launch on an intercept mission. A radio control target aircraft had flown out of the range of its controller on the Fort Stewart antiaircraft range. The controller was unable to get the target aircraft to respond and the 350-pound drone continued flying at 230 miles per hour. Coleman received coordinates for the drone after take-off and directed his F-84 Thunderjet on an intercept course. Coleman was prepared to shoot down the drone to prevent it from crashing in a populated area. For more than an hour Coleman shadowed the drone as it flew erratically through the skies before the drone’s parachute opened and it drifted harmlessly to the ground near Odum, southwest of Fort Stewart.[9]

Assuming command of the Savannah-based 158^th Fighter Squadron July 12, 1958, Major Coleman guided the squadron through the transition from the F84F Thunderchief to the F-86 Saber Jet. The sun had not yet risen on the first day of 1960 when the 158th was put on alert status and prepared to scramble fighter interceptors at a moment’s notice. The 158th was one of 21 Air National Guard Squadrons across the nation to participate in this readiness exercise which was designed to test the ability of National Guard pilots and aircraft to take to the air in response to the detection of incoming enemy aircraft. Additionally, the alert tested the ability of Air National Guard units to conduct sustained operations against a possible enemy attack.[10]

Maj. Sheftall Coleman Jr. (on ladder) briefs pilots of the 158th Fighter Squadron before a mission in July 1960. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Promoted to lieutenant colonel in September 1960, Coleman led the 158^th through another transition as the 165^th Fighter Group was redesignated the 165^th Air Transport Group April 1, 1962.[11] Coleman witnessed the delivery of the first four-engine C-97 Stratofreighter March 8, 1962 marking a historic change in mission for the 158^th which was among the first Air National Guard units in the United States to be issued jet aircraft in 1949. Major Ben Patterson, a future commander of the Ga. Air National Guard, succeeded Coleman in command of the 158^th Air Transportation Squadron in 1962. Patterson had previously served as operations officer and flight leader in the 158^th.[12]

Major Glenn Herd, commander of the 128th Air Transport Squadron shakes hands with Maj. Sheftall Coleman Jr. after delivering the first C-97 Stratofreighter to Travis Field March 8, 1962.
Georgia National Guard Archives.

Coleman completed training on the multi-engine C-97 en route to logging his 5,000^th flight hour. In January 1967, Coleman served as co-pilot on a mission to fly life-saving serum to a Savannah child. The aircraft, piloted by Brig. Gen. Paul Stone, commander of the Ga. Air National Guard, was conducting practice approaches at Bush Field in Augusta when radio traffic informed the crew of the medical emergency in Savannah. The aircraft immediately flew to Charleston Air Force Base to pick up the serum and rush it to Travis Field. The serum was delivered 65 minutes after the radio report was received and the child recovered.[13]

Coleman remained with the 165^th Air Transport Group and in May 1967, reported to Tinker Air Force Base for ten weeks of training in C-124 aircraft.[14] The 165^th ATG replaced its C-97s with C-124s in July 1967.[15]

Coleman retired from the Georgia Air National Guard in 1971 and was promoted to colonel. He continued to work at his civilian job as safety and security director for Chandler Hospital in Savannah. He died February 21, 2003 at the age of 81.

 

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[1] Official Registry of the National Guard, 1939. (Washington DC: War Department, 1939) 318.

 

[2] World War I Service Record of Sheftall Coleman, https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/3129/images/41187_1220705227_0989-01687?usePUB=true&_phsrc=HOp402&_phstart=successSource&usePUBJs=true&pId=31588

 

[3] Pictorial Review of the National Guard of the State of Georgia, 1939, 160.

 

[4] Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Retrieved from https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/2442/images/M-T0627-00650-00589?pId=51201571

[5] “Biography of Maj. Sheftall Coleman Jr.” Georgia National Guard Archives, NP.

 

[6] City Directory, Savannah, Ga. 168.

 

[7] “Savannah’s 158^th Ftr. Bmr. Sqdn. Alerted for 14-hr., 7 Day Watch.” The Georgia Guardsman. July August 1954, 6.

 

[8] “Modern Minutemen of the Air National Guard Maintain Daily Guard of Skies Above Savannah.” The Georgia Guardsman, Nov Dec 1954, 6.

 

[9] “Travis Air N.G. Pilot tracks RCAT by Jet.” The Georgia Guardsman, Sept Oct 1956, 11.

 

[10] William Carraway “Sixty Years Ago: The Georgia Air National Guard Enters a New Decade on High Alert.” Georgia National Guard History Jan. 2, 2020, http://www.georgiaguardhistory.com/2020/01/sixty-years-ago-georgia-air-national.html

 

[11] “165^th Gets First Stratofreighter.” The Georgia Guardsman, March April 1962, 6.

 

[12] “Biography of Brig. Gen. Benjamin L. Patterson.” Georgia National Guard Archives, NP.

 

[13] “B/G Paul S. Stone, Travis Field Airmen Fly Vital Serum to Save Sav. Child.” The Georgia Guardsman, January 1967, 3.

 

[14] “School Bells.” The Georgia Guardsman, May-Aug 1967, 15.

 

[15] The Georgia Air National Guard. 165^th Tactical Airlift Group, 1946-1984, 23.

Feb. 18, 1959: Future Ga. ARNG State Aviation Officer Makes Emergency Landing in Griffin

 By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard.

 

Brigadier General Charlie Camp (center) speaks with Master Sgt. Georgie Moore (left) and 1st Lt. Robert Sprayberry (right) beside an L-20
Beaver in January, 1957. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Late in the evening of February 17, 1959, Captain Robert Sprayberry departed the airport in Brunswick, Ga. piloting a Georgia Army National Guard L-20 bound for Marietta. Onboard were two passengers: Lt. Col. Steven Reeves, a personnel officer with the Ga. National Guard’s United States Property and Fiscal Office; and Jimmy Williamson, Mayor of Darien, Georgia.[1] Enroute to Dobbins Air Force Base, the aircraft began experiencing engine trouble. In the desperate minutes that followed, Sprayberry’s training, experience collaborating with the Georgia State Patrol and decision making would be the difference between life and death.

 

Aviation Career

Sprayberry enlisted as a private in the Atlanta-based Headquarters Battery, 179^th Field Artillery Battalion February 7, 1949. Commissioning in April 1952, Sprayberry graduated from the Army Aviation Flight School at Fort Sill, Okla. the following year and was qualified to fly the L-17, L-19 and L-20 aircraft in the Georgia National Guard inventory.[2] One year later, while assigned as an L-19 pilot with the 179^th FA BN, Sprayberry assisted the Georgia State Patrol in a search for an escaped convict near Adairsville, Ga.[3]

Georgia National Guard Soldiers of the Rome-based Company E, 122nd Infantry Regiment, 48th Infantry Division, guard Herbert Juelich, who escaped
from U.S. Marshals in North Georgia on August 8, 1953. Photo by Maj. Jack Conrad.

In December 1957, Sprayberry graduated from the U.S. Army Primary Helicopter School at Camp Wolters, Texas and began flying the Georgia National Guard’s newest rotary wing aircraft, the UH-13.[4]

By the time he was promoted to captain July 28, 1958, Sprayberry had flown all fixed and rotary-wing aircraft in the Georgia Army National Guard inventory and regularly flew senior leaders of the Georgia National Guard and civilian leaders.

 

ATLANTA, September 1958 – Captain Robert Sprayberry (right) at the controls of a Georgia Army National Guard helicopter during Operation Deathless,
 an information campaign conducted with the Georgia State Patrol to reduce traffic fatalities over the Labor Day weekend. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Emergency Landing

As Sprayberry took off from Brunswick airport with Lt. Col. Reeves and Mayor Williamson there were no indicators that the flight would be anything but routine. Sprayberry had flown the single-engine L-20 for more than five years carrying passengers and cargo across the state and southeast region. The weather was fair with an 80 percent moon and scattered clouds. With minimal wind and 10-mile visibility, Sprayberry and his passengers settled in for what should have been a smooth two-hour flight.

Lieutenant Colonel Robert Sprayberry in May 1974 at the controls of one an L-20 aircraft like the one he was flying February 18, 1959.
Georgia National Guard Archives.

In the skies over Forsyth, just after midnight on February 18, 1959, Sprayberry’s aircraft developed carburetor trouble and began losing power. Sprayberry radioed an emergency to Georgia National Guard headquarters and contacted the airport in Griffin to request an emergency landing. The Griffin airport radioed back that a power failure at the landing strip made a landing impossible. Thinking quickly, Sprayberry contacted the Georgia State Patrol with whom he had collaborated on several past missions. As he struggled to keep the engine running, Sprayberry requested an emergency landing on the highway north of Griffin. The GSP and Griffin Police Department stopped highway traffic and began setting up a makeshift landing strip lit by police vehicles. For nearly 30 agonizing minutes, Sprayberry labored to keep the craft in the air as the police worked feverishly to clear the road, mark a bridge crossing, and secure an ambulance and fire truck for the scene. As Sprayberry was on final approach the aircraft engine died. Nevertheless, Sprayberry skillfully landed the L-20 which came to a stop short of the bridge just inside the Griffin city limits.

Sprayberry and his passengers spent the night in Griffin while mechanics traveled from Atlanta to repair the aircraft. The crew made swift work of the repairs and Sprayberry was able to take off from the highway shortly after 11:00 am in a strong crosswind. He landed briefly at Griffin airport to take on fuel then continued to Dobbins Air Force Base.[5]

 

Later Career

Sprayberry remained in the Georgia National Guard. In 1972 he was appointed to serve as the state aviation officer. [6] Over his long career, Sprayberry served as the pilot for two Georgia governors. He retired as a colonel after 33 years of military service.

Colonel Robert Sprayberry with Brig. Gen. Holden West, commander of the Ga. Army National Guard in 1976. Georgia National Guard Archives.

 

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[1] “Crippled Plane Brought in on Cleared Griffin Four Lane,” Atlanta Constitution, February 19, 1959, 32.

[2] “Guard Panorama,” The Georgia Guardsman, May, June 1957, 20.

[3] “Rome Guardsmen Capture Fugitive Killers, The Georgia Guardsman, July-August 1953, 6-7.

[4] The Georgia Guardsman, Jan, Feb 1958, 6.

[5] “Pilot Saves Craft: Plane Lands on Highway Inside Griffin City Limits, The Macon News, February 19, 1959, 3/

[6] “Sprayberry New State Avn Officer,” The Georgia Guardsman, Jan-Feb, 1972, 2.

The Georgia National Guard’s First Helicopter

By Major William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Sixty-seven years of Georgia Army National Guard rotary wing aviation are represented in this collage.

The Georgia Army National Guard has one of the largest non-attack rotary aircraft inventories in the entire National Guard. The Marietta-based 78th Aviation Troop Command flies helicopters from support facilities in Marietta, Winder and Hunter Army Airfield and has supported combat operations in Iraq and Afghanistan as well as peace keeping missions in Kosovo. Georgia National Guard helicopters have also provided critical support to emergency response operations ranging from hurricanes to wildfires. But how long has the Georgia Guard flown helicopters?

The first helicopter assigned to the Georgia National Guard was delivered to Fort Bragg for assembly in March 1953 and was delivered to the state shortly thereafter. The helicopter was a single-engine H-13 and was assigned to the Division Artillery of the 48^th Infantry Division. Lieutenant James H. Strickland, aviation officer of the 48^th Infantry Division, put the new aircraft through its acceptance tests. It was one of 88 helicopters delivered to the Guard in 1953 with H-13 helicopters assigned to the First, Second and Third Army areas.[1]

FORT MCCLELLAN, ALA 1954 – Georgia National Guard Soldiers of the 48th Infantry Division’s 121st Infantry Regiment get a close look at the
first helicopter in the Georgia National Guard Inventory during annual training at Fort McClellan, Ala. in the summer of 1954. Georgia National Guard Archives.

The H-13 joined the fixed-wing complement of aircraft assigned to the 48^th Division which included L-20 Beavers and L-19 Bird Dog observation aircraft.

The Army Aviation Section of the 48th Infantry Division based at Cochran Field in Macon, Ga. in November 1950. Georgia National Guard Archives.

Strickland debuted the H-13 at the 1954 annual training of the 48^th Division at Fort McClellan, Ala. Taking a photographer aloft, Strickland collected aerial imagery of the training area. The following year, the H-13 flew missions as part of Operation Minuteman, a nationwide rapid alert exercise that placed more than 318,000 National Guardsmen on mobilization alert April 21, 1955.[2]

FORT MCCLELLAN, ALA – An H-13 helicopter of the Georgia National Guard’s 48th Infantry Division Artillery sweeps in low over field lodging
during annual training. Georgia National Guard Archives

Strickland and the H-13 were called to respond to state emergencies beginning with the search for a missing hunter in Effingham County in 1956.[3] In March, Maj. Gen. Georgia Hearn became the first Adjutant General of Georgia to visit units by helicopter as he travelled about the state as part of Muster Day recruiting efforts.

The H-13 became a staple of Georgia National Guard aviation in the 1950s as other units, such as the 48^th Reconnaissance Squadron, fielded the aircraft. By the end of the decade, the Georgia Army National Guard had four H-13 helicopters assigned. First Lieutenant Robert Sprayberry, future state aviation officer, completed rotary-wing training December 21, 1957 and was assigned to the state headquarters detachment. Sprayberry flew senior leaders of the Georgia National Guard and provided aerial assistance to the governor’s Operation Deathless, a Labor Day weekend safety mission in 1958.[4] In November 1962, Major Sprayberry flew Governor Ernest Vandiver to Marietta, Calhoun, Lavonia and Hartwell for armory dedication ceremonies.[5]

ATLANTA, September 1958 – Georgia Army National Guard Col. W. R. Robinette, Lt. Col Emmett. Plunkett and Capt. Robert Sprayberry plan
aerial surveillance of highways near Atlanta during Operation Deathless, an information campaign created by Governor Marvin Griffin to reduce
traffic fatalities over the Labor Day Weekend. – Georgia National Guard Archives.

The H-13 remained in service through 1965 and was phased out in favor of the H-23. By 1967, all H-13 in service with the 48^th Armor Division had been replaced.

 

FORT STEWART, GA, July 1967 – H-23 helicopters assigned to the 48th Armor Division participate in Governor’s Day activities at Fort Stewart, Ga.
Georgia National Guard Archives.

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[1] “First Helicopter for Georgia NG Delivered for Assembly at Bragg.” The Georgia Guardsman, March 1954, 1.

[2] “Operation Minuteman.” The Georgia Guardsman, March, April, May 1955, 8-10.

[3] “Springfield Battery Hunts Lost Hunter. The Georgia Guardsman, January February 1956, 15.

[4] “Operation Deathless Holds Ga. Fatalities to 8 as Guard Patrols Hwys. Labor Day.” The Georgia Guardsman. September October 1958, 8=9.

[5] “Four New Armories Dedicated in Marietta, Calhoun, Lavonia and Hartwell.” The Georgia Guardsman, September December 1962.

Georgia Air National Guard Flies Training Mission in Support of Ground Observer Corps

 By Maj. William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Georgia Air National Guard pilots and plotters supported Air Defense Command during an exercise Dec. 14, 1952.[1] The purpose of the mission was to test the effectiveness of the Ground Observer Corps, a volunteer program of the Office of Civil Defense which organized and trained citizens to spot and report enemy aircraft activity.

 

Capt. Glenn Herd, operations officer of the 128th Fighter Bomber Squadron in an F-51 with his crew chief TSgt. Moore. Herd flew more than 100
combat missions over Korea and was credited with shooting down a MiG 15. Georgia National Guard Archives

Pilots of the 128^th Fighter Bomber Squadron were tasked with flying specific courses over north and central Georgia. The pilots were briefed on their specific flight patterns by Capt. Glenn Herd, operations officer of the 128^th FBS. Lieutenant William Tennent was assigned to fly the northwest mission corridor in a T-6 while Captains Doug Embry and Merrill Nuss flew a second T-6 on a course over southwest Georgia. Lieutenant Robert W. Carmichael, piloting an F-51 H Mustang flew over northeast Georgia.

With the exact flight paths known, Guardsmen of the 129^th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron, commanded by Capt. W. H. Thomason, plotted the positions of the aircraft as they were reported through the Atlanta Filter Center by Observer Corps volunteers across the state. Capt. W. W. Lee, a controller with the 129^th supervised ten Guardsmen who tracked the aircraft and plotted their positions. In remarks following the exercise, Lee concluded that the Guardsmen demonstrated capability and skill in performing their assigned mission and was confident that they would be able to carry out their duties in the event of a real emergency.

 

Maj. Walter H. Thomason, with plaque, original commander of the 129th Air Control and Warning Squadron with original members of the unit at Thomason’s
retirement ceremony in December 1959. Left to right, kneeling: Capt. Thomas Burns, Maj. George J. Patsois, Maj. Walter H. Thomason Jr., Capt. Robert L. Robinson Jr.,
Capt. Curtis Walker and MSgt. Roy Largin. Back Row: WO Lynn S. Elliott, Capt. Iverson Copeland, Lt. Ben J. Nash, Lt. Warren Montgomery, MSgt. Lackland
and Capt. Pete Cross. A Georgia National Guard Soldier before World War II, Thomason flew B-17s in Europe and earned the
Distinguished Flying Cross. Thomason commanded the 129th from its organization Oct. 13, 1952 to his retirement in December 1959. 

Organized in World War II to facilitate early detection of enemy aircraft, the Ground Observer Corps was reorganized in Georgia in January 1951 with a call for 15,000 volunteers.[2] The Atlanta Air Defense Filter Center was located at 2939 Peachtree Road Northeast. Staffed by U.S. Air Force personnel and Ground Observer Corps volunteers, the Filter Center was capable of conducting 24-hour operations to supplement radar networks in receiving and transmitting information for interception of hostile aircraft.[3]

 

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[1] “Air Guard flies Defense Mission.” The Georgia Guardsman. January 1953, 11.

 

[2] Katherine Barnwell. “700 Plane Observation Posts Due for Georgia.” Atlanta Constitution. Dec. 26, 1951, 15.

 

[3] “Filter Center Open House Set May 17.” Atlanta Constitution, May 6, 1953, 13.

1953: Crash Kils Four Ga. ANG Pilots

 By Major William Carraway

Historian, Georgia Army National Guard

 

Left to right: Capt. Idon Hodge Jr., 1st Lt. Samuel Dixon Jr., 1st Lt. Elwood Kent, 2nd Lt. William Tennent. Georgia National Guard Archives.

At 10:20 p.m. Dec. 5, 1953 four F-84 Thunderjets of the Georgia Air National Guard took off from Miami airport bound for Dobbins Air Force Base. At the controls of the lead jet was Capt. Idon Hodge Jr., a veteran of World War II and Korea. Following him in formation were 1^st Lt. Samuel Dixon Jr., 1^st Lt. Elwood Kent and 2^nd Lt. William Tennent.[1] One hour prior to take off the pilots had received a weather advisory from Dobbins indicating a ceiling of 12,000 feet, but by 10:30, the ceiling had dropped to 600 feet. Just before midnight, Hodge radioed the Atlanta Naval Air Station to advise that the pilots were starting their descent from 27,000 feet. The aircraft began a gradual descent through fog and rain. Atlanta Naval Air Station, monitoring radio traffic heard the pilots discussing the worsening weather.[2]

A flight of four F-84D Thunderjets flies in tight formation circa 1950. Georgia National Guard Archives.

At twelve minutes after midnight December 6, several eyewitnesses reported a flash of light followed by a loud explosion. A local hunter was the closest eyewitness. After seeing the flash from a Gwinnett County Farm, Grady Johnson rushed to a neighbor’s house and notified the Naval Air Station of the explosion. He then rushed in the direction of the explosion. Reaching the crash site he discovered burning wreckage and one body. Johnson returned to the neighbor’s house to report the discovery then waited at a nearby crossroads for responders. Johnson flagged down Deputy Sheriff Lamar Crowe and directed him to the crash site. The men reached a burning farmhouse which had been struck by the aircraft flying in tight formation. The family who lived in the farmhouse were fortunately visiting family in Suwanee at the time of the accident.[3]

Air Force and National Guard officials rushed to the crash site. Among the first to reach the scene was Maj. Gen. Ernest Vandiver, Georgia’s Adjutant General. On order of Governor Herman Talmadge, a 45 Soldiers of the Atlanta-based 122^nd Infantry Regiment under command of Capt. Robert Hickman was detailed to guard the crash site. By dawn, officials began the grim task of searching through the crash site. Surveying the scene, Vandiver beheld an impact area perhaps 100 feet wide leading the general to surmise that the aircraft were flying in tight formation when the pilots became disoriented. Vandiver remained on site for nearly six hours until all four pilots had been positively identified. Vandiver directed notification of family members, many of whom had already gathered at Dobbins awaiting updates with fellow pilots of the 128^th Fighter Squadron. Capt. Charles Allen recalled all four as personal friends and excellent pilots. First Lt. Willis Carmichael recalled his friend Lt. Tennent as an excellent pilot from their days together in preliminary pilot training.[4]

A United States Air Force investigation recommended a redesign of cockpit altimeters concluding that leading cause of the accident was a misreading of altitude under instrument flight conditions. Altimeters recovered from wreckage appeared to read 11,000 feet instead of the actual 1,100 feet above sea level. Joel Paris, future Adjutant General of Georgia was a captain in the 128^th FS at the time of the accident and recalled "The lighting was not real good in those jets and the altimeters were hard to read… it had a short, skinny needle that only moved one-fourth inch for every 10,000 feet. It could hide behind the other needle."[5]

In 2003, Ben Cole, a Suwanee resident organized an effort to dedicate a monument on the 50^th-anniversary of the crash and in 2006 completed Four Down on Old Peachtree Road, which examines the crash and subsequent investigation.

Plaque in Suwannee honoring the fallen Ga. ANG aviators.

In Memoria

Idon Marion Hodge Jr. was born May 16, 1923 to Idon and Ruby Hodge of Charleston West Virginia. Hodge’s father was an accountant. Hodge enlisted in the U.S. Army Medical Administration Corps May 20, 1942. He ended the war as a captain assigned as operations officer to the 39^th Fighter Squadron, 35^th Fighter Group in the Pacific Theater where he shot down three enemy aircraft. After the war he studied chemical engineering at Georgia Institute of Technology. On March 26, 1949, Hodge married Quincy Alexander of Pineville, N.C. at the Duke University Chapel in Durham, N.C. On Oct. 5, 1950, Hodge was activated with the Georgia National Guard’s 128^th Fighter Squadron for service in Korea. Following his tour of duty he accepted assignment in France. In June 1953, the Hodges returned to the United States. He was survived by his wife and children Nancy and Bill. He is buried in Arlington, Va.

 

Samuel Peyton Dixon Jr. was born August 29, 1922 in Florida to Samuel and Nancy Edwards. By 1930 he lived at the Georgia Military Academy Married Mary Bunch. He enlisted in the U.S. Army May 7, 1942. During the war he was awarded the Air Medal with oak leaf cluster. Dixon was to have graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1954 with a degree in aeronautical engineering. He is buried in Marietta National Cemetery.

 

Elwood Campbell Kent was born in Memphis, Tenn. in 1925 and graduated from Memphis Tech High School. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps Sept 18, 1943 in Miami, Fla. Completing pilot training Kent was assigned to the 2510^th Army Air Force Base Unit in Texas. After World War II, Kent joined the Georgia Air National Guard and served with the 128^th Fighter Squadron from 1947 to 1949 while employed with the Virginia State Highway Department. He graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1949 with a degree in civil engineering and married June McDaniel later that year. The family lived in Atlanta where Kent was employed as a civil engineer. He rejoined the unit in 1952. He is buried in Westview Cemetery in Atlanta. He was survived by his wife June.

 

William Alston Tennent was born in Augusta, Ga. 1928 to Henry and Attie Tennent. In 1932, Tennent’s father, an optician, died and the family moved to Atlanta. He graduated from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1951 with a degree in industrial management.

 

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[1] “In Memorium.” Georgia Guardsman. December 1953, 2.

 

[2] “Four Atlanta Pilots Are Hurled to Fiery Death as Jets Crash During Gwinnett Rainstorm.” Atlanta Constitution. Dec 7, 1953, 1.

[3] “Hunters Rushed to Pyre of Jets After Explosion.” Atlanta Constitution. Dec 7, 1953, 10.

 

[4] “Fliers’ Pals Carried Tragic News to Kin.” Atlanta Constitution. Dec 7, 1953, 10.

 

[5] “Book recounts 1953 Suwanee Plane Crash.” Gwinnett Daily Post. Dec 6, 2006.