Wednesday Hero: Maj. Don Beerbower
This is one post from Jacqui Murray’s Wednesday Hero collection. I sincerely hope you will join us in honoring Major Don Beerbower of the 9th U.S. Air Force. Thank you.
Maj. Don Beerbower
22 years old from Hill City, Minnesota353d Fighter Squadron, 354th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force
August 26, 1921 – August 9, 1944
A fighter pilot who has brought down five or more enemy aircraft was called a flying ace. From December 1943 to Aug. 9, 1944, Beerbower became a triple ace, shooting down more than 15 German planes, making him the second highest ace in the 9th Air Force.
Due to pilot losses and Beerbower’s own advancements based on flying and leadership skills, Beerbower was promoted to major and made squadron commander in June 1944 — less than nine months after his arrival in Europe. At only 22 years old, he already was a great fighter pilot, respected and liked by the men in his squadron.
You can read more about Maj. Beerbower hereThese brave men and women sacrifice so much in their lives so…
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Posted on March 23, 2014, in Uncategorized and tagged aviation, combat, family history, History, Military, Military History, nostalgia, US Air Force, veterans, WWII. Bookmark the permalink. 19 Comments.
Pacific Paratrooper 
A triple ace – and so young too.
It’s right that their names are not forgotten – ever!
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Thank you, Eric!!
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Impressive!
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Thank you, Cindy. Glad you could stop by.
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Thanks for reposting this, GP. You have quite a following–I got a flood of visitors to my website on this young man. Very fun.
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That news makes me very happy, your site deserves the attention.
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Thanks.
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Always amazing to hear how quickly these boys became men and leaders of men. At 22 I paled by comparison. Thanks againg for bringing these stories out of the attic.
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I thank you for always coming by to help me honor these men.
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Thank you for sharing hero Maj. Beerbower with us.
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Certainly my pleasure. I was happy to locate this on Jacqui’s site. Thank you for reading today.
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You are welcome. It was a nice site to visit. She has quite a few heroes listed.
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And she’ll continue – a very dedicated woman.
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It’s humbling to see the number of men and women who have sacrificed for us.
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It’s easier to handle when you just see numbers, reading the individual stories is pretty rough. Thanks for taking the time to stop by, Colleen.
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What an amazing man. So sad that he ‘bought it’ on that mission after seeming so invincible, but his action in directing fire to himself probably saved a number of those with him.
One would wish that he had left a son to be proud of such a distinguished father.
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Very nice thoughts and wishes for this hero; thank you Colonist.
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Salute!
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Thank you for reading, friend.
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