Wallace P Mace
Militarycook
Wally, as his family and friends called him, started his military career in the army artillery before World War II. Early on he knew the army air corps was his calling and was one of the first graduates in 1940. Shortly after he was stationed in a tropical island group called Hawaii, he was introduced to the Japanese on December 7th, 1941. Stationed at Wheeler Field, he was lucky enough to survive but not able to get airborne. Many of his friends lost their lives that day. From there, he was sent to an island called Midway, where another battle was fought, again a survivor. Soon he was finally able to return to the states where he married the love of life and then went off to England to wait for D-Day. Though not involved on this historic day his unit, the 354th fighter wing, all experienced P-51 fighter pilots, destroyed more German planes than any other unit by the time the war ended. A man to all, his exploits were well documented. His post war travels included numerous stops around the country and the world. His final stop, was Truax Field, Madison, where he retired as the division commander of this region in 1968.
He passed away in 2005. Wallace is survived by his wife of 62 years.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Ninth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Headquarters
- Air Force: Ninth Air Force
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 354th Fighter Group 355th Fighter Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-392737
- Highest Rank: Colonel
- Role/Job: Fighter Pilot/Group Commander
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 70th Fighter Wing 354th Fighter Group 356th Fighter Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-407083
- Highest Rank: Lieutenant Colonel
- Role/Job: Fighter Pilot/Operations Officer/FAC
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 354th Fighter Group 353rd Fighter Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-388638
- Highest Rank: Major
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: P-51 Mustang
- Nicknames: Peg O My Heart
- Unit: 354th Fighter Group 356th Fighter Group 496th Fighter Training Group 355th Fighter Squadron 359th Fighter Squadron 555th Fighter Training Squadron
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
19 March 1915 | ||
Other Deputy Commanding Officer - 354th FG |
26 November 1942 - 6 April 1944 | ||
Died |
21 February 2005 | ||
Buried |
26 February 2005 | Mountain View Memorial Estates Cemetery Cottonwood Heights Salt Lake County Utah, USA |
Revisions
Added " / " in the "Role/job" field as a separator to aid readability.
NARA file verified officer number and one Air Medal awarded under General Orders #85, Hqrs. Ninth Air Force, March 31, 1944. Any additional Air Medals would have been awarded in later service, but are not listed in the file.