| OCR Text |
Show FORMER BINGHAM BOY RECEIVES SERM HONOR First Lieutenant Leland A. (Sonny) Walker Jr., who has been decorated with the Distinguished Disting-uished Service Cross for his record re-cord in action in the Pacific war zone, is back at duty. According to a letter written July 16, received receiv-ed Monday by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Leland A. Walker Sr., of 839 East South Temple street, Salt Lake City, Lieutenant Walker Walk-er was returning to his air base that day (July 16) following two months' leave to allow his hands, which were injured, to heal. Last June Lieutenant Walker received a silver star for devotion devo-tion to duty during the long-distance raid on the Philippine islands is-lands from Australia. At the beginning of the war Lieutenant Walker was at Clarke field, .P.I., which was subjected to an heavy air attack. Since December 7 he. has taken part in 10 major engagements in the Pacific. Pa-cific. His performances in these encounters won him the Distinguished Disting-uished Service Cross, highest recognition re-cognition given service men other oth-er than the Congressional medal. It is supposed that Lieutenant Walker received his hand injuries injur-ies May 8, when the bomber he was piloting was on reconnaissance reconnais-sance and crippled by a Japanese Japan-ese plane. ,Lieutenant jWalkeri flew his plane 200 miles with one engine to within sight of his airport, air-port, before the Jap plane, then out of ammunition, turned back. The airport was having a raid and would not let Lieutenant Walker land. In attempting a forced landing on a coral island, the plane was torn up and caught fire. It is presumed that Lieutenant Lieuten-ant Walker cut his hand in tearing tear-ing out a window to get his copilot co-pilot from the plane. Two gunners gun-ners died of injuries within an hour. The rest of the crew were saved. Binghamites are very proud of Sonny Walker. Born in Illinois, he came to Bingham Canyon with his parents as a small boy, going through Bingham grade and high schools. He graduated from the University of Utah, where he took letters in tennis and wrestling, and was affiliated with Sigma Chi fraternity. He graduated from Kelly field February Feb-ruary 7, 1941, and sailed for the Philippine islands November 1, 1941. |
