Herbert Melvin McCleary

Military

media-48173.jpeg UPL 48173 Left to Right:
Major Robert J. Rooney (P), SSGT Herbert M. McCleary (G), SSGT Sebastian F. DiNapoli (G)
416th BG - 670th BS - 9th AF

http://www.416th.com/CachatPhotos/Cachat_PLANE_STILLS_CREWS.html

Object Number - UPL 48173 - Left to Right: Major Robert J. Rooney (P), SSGT Herbert M. McCleary (G), SSGT Sebastian F. DiNapoli (G) 416th BG - 670th BS - 9th AF

Connections

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Units served with

416th Bomb Group

Unit Hierarchy: Group
Air Force: Ninth Air Force
Type Category: Bombardment

670th Bomb Squadron

Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
Air Force: Ninth Air Force
Type Category: Bombardment

People

Sebastian Francis Di Napoli

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 416th Bomb Group 670th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: 32202754
Highest Rank: Staff Sergeant (3rd Grade)
Role/Job: Aerial Gunner

Robert John Rooney

Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
Nationality: American
Unit: 416th Bomb Group 670th Bomb Squadron
Service Numbers: O-26102
Highest Rank: Captain
Role/Job: Pilot

Aircraft

43-10165

Aircraft Type: A-20 Havoc
Nicknames: Snooks
Unit: 416th Bomb Group 668th Bomb Squadron

43-9207

Aircraft Type: A-20 Havoc
Unit: 416th Bomb Group 670th Bomb Squadron

43-9209

Aircraft Type: A-20 Havoc
Unit: 416th Bomb Group 670th Bomb Squadron

43-9227

Aircraft Type: A-20 Havoc
Unit: 416th Bomb Group 670th Bomb Squadron

43-9455

Aircraft Type: A-20 Havoc
Unit: 416th Bomb Group 670th Bomb Squadron

Places

Wethersfield

Site type: Airfield

Events

Event	Location	Date	Description
Born	Muscatine, Iowa	30 November 1920
	Muscatine, Iowa	16 February 1942	610 Orange Street Worked for Healy Metal Repair
Enlisted	Herrold, Iowa	21 October 1942
Other First 416th BG Combat Mission	Bernay, France	4 March 1944
Other Final 416th BG Combat Mission	Mantes-Gassicourt, France	18 July 1944	Flew 53 combat missions
Other Wounded In Action	RAF Ford, UK	18 July 1944	Lt Rooney was piloting his plane on a "window mission" on this attack, and was about ten minutes over France when a burst of flak made the right engine useless. A second burst damaged the interphone and the hydraulic lines. A third burst riddled the aircraft and with the interphone out of commission, lip reading was resorted to by the two gunners, S/Sgts McCleary and DiNapoli, which led to the knowledge that Sgt McCleary was badly injured. Sgt DiNapoli ripped McCleary's suit with a knife and applied a tourniquet and gave the injured gunner a needle of morphine to ease the pain. Lt Rooney was wounded in the back, and had severe pains in the abdomen, and fearing his gunners would not be able to get out due to possible wounds since the ship was so riddled, he turned his plane back, salvoed his bombs over a wooded area in France, and made for an emergency landing field in England. Coming into Ford, Sussex, landing field, a taking off Spitfire was heading right for them, and, raising his wheels just in time, the Polish pilot of the fighter just cleared the incoming ship of Lt Rooney. There was no hydraulic pressure left, and only one wheel dangled, but with no support, so Lt Rooney made a belly landing. The ship was a total wreck. Due to the severity of his wounds Lt Rooney was unable to get out of the plane and had to be extracted by the ground crews of the field. Both he and Sgt McCleary were rushed to the hospital there. A very bad compound fracture of the arm resulted in the transfer of Sgt McCleary to a hospital unit for removal back to the United States for recuperation.
Buried	Portland, Oregon	28 November 1944	Willamette National Cemetery Portland, Multnomah County, Oregon, USA AA, 0, 664
Died	Portland, Oregon	25 November 1998