FRE 199
IMAGEFlight-Surgeon Captain George R. Hornig of the 61st Fighter Squadron, 56th Fighter Group stands beside ambulance waiting for returning crews. Passed for publication on 29 November 1943 Printed caption attached to print: '"Ace" Flight-Surgeon is combination family physician, foster-father and chaplain. One of the "ace" flight-surgeons in the European Theatre of Operations in Captain George R. Hornig, 32, of Glen Head, Long Island, New York, a combination of family physician, foster-father and chaplain to the pilots, he "looks after" the men who fly the single-engined P-47 Thunderbolt fighters which escort the big bombers into Germany. Officially, it's his job to keep the combat men in tip-top physical condition; see that their equipment, particularly the oxygen apparatus, is functioning properly, and treat their wounds when they come back shot up. To prepare for this he studied aviation medicine - including psychology and plastic surgery - at the Army Air Corps School at Randolph Field, Texas. Associated Press photo shows: Capt. G. Hornig, of Glen Head, Long Island, “ace” flight-surgeon in the European Theatre of Operations, waits for “his boys” to return from a mission.
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Units
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Fighter
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 56th Fighter Group 61st Fighter Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-?
- Highest Rank: Captain
- Role/Job: Ground Officer