.A True War Hero.

So this morning I dropped Quinn off at the airport for his trip to Louisville, Kentucky where he and other various family members are accepting an honorary medal on behalf of his Great-Uncle, 2nd Lieutenant John (Jack) V. Scanlan 47th FS, 15th FG who was shot down by the Japanese on June 23, 1945 during WWII.

Back in the days of WWII the Army did not bother with sending an Officer and a Chaplin to the family of a deceased soilder, rather they sent a telegram. Quinn’s Grandmother (his Great-Uncle Jack’s sister) and her family received a telegram from the War Department that simply stated, “The Secretary of War desires me to express his deepest regrets, that your son Lt. John Scanlan was killed June 23, 1945.”But that telegram actually confirming a death would not come so easily. At first, Jack’s family was simply told that his plane was shot down over mainland Japan. Quinn’s Grandmother (his Great-Uncle Jack’s sister) and her family wrote letters to the United States War Department for well over twenty-years requesting information about Jack’s death and demanding that his body be returned home to the United States. The United States played dumb for all these years in reference to the whereabouts of his remains and the acts that Jack went through once his plane went down.

After Jack graduated from St. Xavier High School and attended the University of Louisville he joined the Army Air Corps where he trained in Arizona and California before shipping out to the Pacific in April of 1944 where he became a dogfighter. His wingman was Lieutenant Bob Scamara and in a recent news article Lt. Scamara recalls the last minutes of Jack Scanlans life.

“It seemed like the whole Jap air force was after Jack and me. I couldn’t even look around and see if Jack was there I was so busy shooting…We two were certainly alone now, so we flew south, line abreast so we could watch each others tails. It wasn’t long before we were tapped again by the Zekes. They were really out to get us…”

“After I rolled out of a turn and could see Jack, it was too late. There were two Japs sneaking up his tail that he couldn’t see. Meanwhile, I was heading straight for him… yelling into the radio for him to do something. I figure maybe he was hit before and his radio was out. The Zekes opened up on him and hit him in the wings. He pulled up a little, his wings burning… He climbed a few hundred feet, rolled over and jumped
out.”

The badly wounded flier parachuted safely to the ground but was quickly captured by Japanese soldiers. While being interrogated by their officers, a mob of angry villagers gathered around the schoolhouse that was being used as a military headquarters. In time, the officers turned Scanlan over to the civilians. The villagers, many of which were woman, beat him savagely. They stabbed him with sharpened bamboo sticks. Soon, the young flier was dead. When his body was recovered, his head had been severed, most likely beheaded.

Tomorrow, 2nd Lieutenant John (Jack) V. Scanlan 47th FS, 15th FG is finally going to be given the recognition that he deserves as a true American War Hero, for if it was not for him, his wingman would not be here today. Once Quinn returns from Kentucky I will be posting additonal information, pictures and video from the ceremony that is taking place at St. Xavier High School, the high school in which Jack graduated from.