Page 78 - Senior Link Magazine Fall 2024 - Online Magazine

Andy Winnegar
66 Combat Missions

as told to Jane Bromley

This article (from 2020) is the seventh of ten
articles we are reprinting to celebrate Senior
Link's decade of honoring area veterans.

fire was subjected to The young sailor left San Diego
extreme dangers in aboard the USS White Plains on
the performance of his April 24, 1944, and a month later
duties. In addition, joined an invasion force headed
he rendered valuable for Saipan.
aid to his pilot and
observer by his own Following are excerpts from his
careful observations. flight log:
Throughout, his
courageous devotion to June 15, 1944:
duty in the successful D-Day on Saipan, and the USS
completion of these White Plains flight deck swarmed
missions reflected great with air crews scrambling to get
credit upon himself fighters and bombers in the air.
and the United States (Ed. Note: Fighters could take

t has been 76 years since Naval Service.” off from the deck, but the larger
torpedo bombers had to be
Andy Winnegar flew on
I66 combat missions during It only took the US Navy 73 catapulted.)
At 0900 we launched from the
WWII, supporting the invasions years to get those medals to him, catapult and were over the invasion
of Saipan, Tinian, Palau, Ulithi but a presentation ceremony forces minutes later.
and the Philippines. He was was finally held in 2017. Assisting Capt. Gatlin gave me the
awarded a Distinguished Flying additional duties of copying Shackle
Cross and seven Air Medals Andy was born, at home, in the Code, using the K-20 camera,
for his service. A citation in Missouri Ozarks to James and throwing out leaflets and assisting
December 1944 signed by Ellen Winnegar and graduated in spotting naval gun fire. My pilot
Admiral Chester Nimitz reads: from Thomasville High School
in 1942. He was 17 when he Lt. Owens and I, along with two
“For meritorious and efficient enlisted in the Navy on July other crews, had “volunteered”
for these missions, which were
performance of duty as radioman of 23, 1942. Boot Camp was at considered hazardous duty, due to
a torpedo-bomber during the period Great Lakes Naval Training flying low and slow over enemy
15 June to 1 July 1944. During Station, and he attended positions.
this period, Winnegar, while Shipboard Radio School, The battle for Saipan ended on
participating in aerial flights, Aviation Radio, Aviation Radar July 9th, and we headed back to
carrying an Air Liaison Observer, and Naval Gunnery Schools. Eniwetok for supplies.
flying at low altitudes and He was assigned to Composite
at slow speeds, in the face of Squadron VC-4 at Sandpoint
concentrated enemy anti-aircraft Naval Air Station, Seattle, WA.

78 Senior Link