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Military
![Sergeant Charles R. Lahey, a medic of the 303rd Bomb Group, does the laundry. Image stamped on reverse: ‘Copyright Current Affairs Ltd.’ [stamp], ‘Passed for Publication 16 Dec 1942. [stamp] and ‘238761.’ [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: .'KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING. A note which is reminiscent of the last war is struck by Sgt. Charles R. Lahey, of 154 W. Marquette Road, Chicago. He is in the medical corps, which lands him all sorts of jobs.](http://americanairmuseum.com/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/freeman/media-378894.jpg?itok=rLPfYs1p)
Sergeant Charles R. Lahey, a medic of the 303rd Bomb Group, does the laundry. Image stamped on reverse: ‘Copyright Current Affairs Ltd.’ [stamp], ‘Passed for Publication 16 Dec 1942. [stamp] and ‘238761.’ [Censor no.] Printed caption on reverse: .'KEEP THE HOME FIRES BURNING. A note which is reminiscent of the last war is struck by Sgt. Charles R. Lahey, of 154 W. Marquette Road, Chicago. He is in the medical corps, which lands him all sorts of jobs. "Love to my parents and to all my friends back home," he send word. "We'll keep 'em flying". O.P.S. Charles bringing a laundry bundle from the officers' quarters. 44a.'
Charles Lahey (1923–1944) was a Medical Corpsman.
The 1930 Census shows that Lahey’s father was a salesman and his mother was of German descent; Charles – father; Emily – mother; Vincent – brother. He was living in Orland Park, Cook County, Chicago. By the 1940 Census, his father was still listed as a salesman but his mother appears to have died.
Lahey died on Christmas day in 1944. His body was recovered after a severe snowstorm at Molesworth. He is one of many men and women who died whilst serving in the armed forces from a cause that was not directly related to combat action. Many of the graves in the Cambridge American Cemetery have similar stories behind them, although Lahey’s body was repatriated to the USA after the war.
Group
The 303rd Bombardment Group (Heavy) was activated on 3-Feb-1942 at Pendleton Field, Oregon. They assembled at Gowen Field, Idaho on 11-February 1942 where it conducted flight training until 12-Jun-1942. The Group then moved to Alamogordo Field, New...
Squadron
Squadron
Squadron
Military site : airfield
Molesworth was one of the early stations used by the Eighth Air Force in the UK, first occupied by the 15th Bomb Squadron’s Douglas Bostons in June 1942. Built in 1940 and extended and improved in 1942, Molesworth is most associated with the 303rd...
| Event | Location | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Born | 5 January 1923 | |
| Lived in | Orland Park, IL, USA | 1940 |
| Based | Molesworth | 1942 – 25 December 1944 |
| Died | 25 December 1944 | |
| Buried | Rock Island National Cemetery, Moline, IL 61265, USA | |
|
Grave says: AAF STA COM SQ |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
|---|---|---|
| 12 April 2015 14:29:05 | Jenny | Changes to highest rank, events and unit associations |
| Sources | ||
Added burial location and date of birth - photo of grave can be found on www.findagrave.com - http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Lahey&GSiman=1&GSs... Units attached: |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 09 April 2015 18:13:56 | Jenny | Changes to middlename, biography, events, place associations and media associations |
| Sources | ||
Census records and information on the back of the photograph from the Freeman Collection which shows Lahey, recorded at the time. |
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| Date | Contributor | Update |
| 27 September 2014 18:05:35 | AAM | AAM ingest |
| Sources | ||
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / http://303rdbg.com/rost-kl.html#K |
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