Lester Allen Wise

Military
media-26946.jpeg UPL 26946 Lester Allen Wise, 1st. lieutenant, U.S. Army Eighth Air Force, Pilot of B-17 bomber, 385th Bomb Group, stationed at Great Ashfield, England, World War Ii

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Object Number - UPL 26946 - Lester Allen Wise, 1st. lieutenant, U.S. Army Eighth Air Force, Pilot of B-17 bomber, 385th Bomb Group, stationed at Great Ashfield, England, World...

Lester Allen Wise was born June 27, 1922 and grew up on a farm in Midland, Michigan as an only child, son of Carry Addison Wise and Dora Ethel Sellers.



I, (his eldest child), don't know when he decided to be in the Air Force. He always said the Navy had the best food. He completed the academic program for pilots at Davidson College, North Carolina, then went on to flight school at Moody Field in Valdosta, Georgia in the class 44-D, where he met another Michigan kid, Kenneth Gerald Wolf, who became one of his best friends (and my godfather). My father almost got washed out of flight school because he bit his fingernails, but ultimately graduated as a pilot. His wings were pinned on by his best friend's (Kenneth Wolf's) sister, Marie, at the ceremony.



He flew to England via Labrador. He was stationed at Great Ashfield in the 385th Bomb Group, 548th Bomb Squadron, and got his Lucky Bastard certificate for flying 31 missions over Europe. He was at a rest home in Oxford when the war ended.



After World War II, he stayed in the Air Force Reserve, ultimately attaining the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in Intelligence. He went to Michigan State on the GI bill, became a chemical engineer, settled back in Midland, Michigan, working at Dow Chemical.



He had a wife, Frances Irene Schoch, and seven children Virginia, David, Thomas, Ruth, Paul, James and Mary. He died August 4, 1998. He did not like to talk about his war experiences, and I think he was both grateful and mystified that he survived, when so many others did not.

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Units served with

The insignia of the 385th Bomb Group.
  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Eighth Air Force
  • Type Category: Bombardment

Aircraft

  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Kentucky Winner
  • Unit: 385th Bomb Group 550th Bomb Squadron
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Ole-O-Oboe
  • Unit: 385th Bomb Group
Wells Cargo
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Wells Cargo
  • Unit: 548th Bomb Squadron 385th Bomb Group
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Mickey II
  • Unit: 385th Bomb Group
  • Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
  • Nicknames: Maiden America

Missions

Places

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

Midland, MI, USA 27 June 1922

Died

Torch Lake, Michigan, USA 4 August 1998
Midland, MI, USA

Revisions

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Virginia Wise, eldest child of Lester Allen Wise

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Virginia Wise, eldest child of Lester Allen Wise

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Virginia Wise, eldest child of Lester Allen Wise

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Virginia Wise, eldest child of Lester Allen Wise

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Virginia Wise, eldest child of Lester Allen Wise

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Virginia a Wise, eldest daughter of Lester Allen Wise

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Virginia Wise, eldest child of Lester Allen Wise--personal recollection

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Virginia Wise, eldest daughter--personal recollection

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Ruth Wise Bates, fourth oldest child of Lester Allen Wise, information from separation document.

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Virginia Wise, eldest child of Lester Allen Wise--personal recollection

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Virginia Wise, eldest daughter of Lester Allen Wise

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Virginia Wise, eldest daughter of Lester Allen Wise

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Virginia Wise, eldest daughter of Lester Allen Wise

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Virginia Wise, eldest daughter of Lester Allen Wise.

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Virginia Wise, eldest Daughter

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Eldest daughter, Virginia Wise

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Added a couple of pins to map, using information added to Wise's record by his daughter.

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Virginia Wise (eldest daughter), personal recollection

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Virginia Wise (eldest daughter), personal recollection

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Virginia Wise ( eldest daughter), personal recollection

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Virginia Wise (eldest daughter), personal recollection

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Virginia Wise (eldest daughter), personal recollection

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Virginia Wise (eldest daughter), personal recollection

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Personal knowledge

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Personal knowledg

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Personal knowledge

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Personal acquaintance (father)

Lester Allen Wise: Gallery (7 items)