Akridge Jr. , Leo C.

Name and Rank, Flight Officer Leo C. Akridge Jr.

Unit/placed, 437^th Bomber Squadron, 319^th Bomber Group (Medium).

Leo was born approx. in 1920 in Michigan.

Father, Leo C. Akridge.

Mother, Bernice E. (Weinrich) Akridge.

Brothers, Phillip E. ,Arthur W. and James M. Akridge.

Leo entered the service from Tennessee with service number # T-223074.

Leo C, Akridge Jr rank/duty was a Flight Officer/Bombardier (B-26) in the 437^th Bomber Squadron.

Leo’s crew-members and their position on-board the plane a B-26 were;

F/O. Harold G. Kantner Pilot

F/O. Leonard E. Holmes Co Pilot

F/O. Leo C. Akridge Bombardier

Leo was KIA when the plane was shot down on the way back by a ME 109 BF and crashed landed at the Coast, on Jan. 16, 1944, and he is honored with an Air Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Cluster, Purple Heart with 2 Oak Leaf Cluster, Good Conduct Medal, American Campaign Medal, Army Presidential Unit Citation, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, WW II Victory Medal.

Leo is mentioned/buried at Florence American Cemetery and Memorial, Florence, Città Metropolitana di Firenze, Toscana, Italy.

Thanks to http://www.319thbombgroup.com/

Jean Louis Vijgen, WW2-Pacific Website.

Air Force Info, Rolland Swank.

ABMC Website, https://abmc.gov

Marines Info, https://missingmarines.com/ Geoffrey Roecker

Seabees History Bob Smith https://seabeehf.org/

Navy Info, http://navylog.navymemorial.org

POW Info, http://www.mansell.com Dwight Rider and Wes injerd.

Philippine Info, http://www.philippine-scouts.org/

National Historian

Navy Seal Memorial, http://www.navysealmemorials.com