Lloyd "Pete" Hughes MOH

 When I read through this officer's Medal of Honor story, it was horrifically informative.  179 B-24 bombers took off, 54 were shot down, a 30 percent loss rate.  Given that there were 10 or 11 airmen on each that makes the casualty rate over 30%.

In case you didn't recognize the description of the mission above, this again is one of the 5 Medal of Honor Recipients from the Ploesti mission, 3 of whom received it posthumously. 

And the mission provided little change in the progress of the war.  I know that "Feces occurs" is a family version of the real version, but it should not be used in this disaster.  

Anyhow, on with Lt Hughes story.

 

 

 

 

 

Hughes' official Medal of Honor citation reads:

For conspicuous gallantry in action and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. On August 1943, 2d Lt. Hughes served in the capacity of pilot of a heavy bombardment aircraft participating in a long and hazardous minimum-altitude attack against the Axis oil refineries of Ploesti, Rumania, launched from the northern shores of Africa. Flying in the last formation to attack the target, he arrived in the target area after previous flights had thoroughly alerted the enemy defenses. Approaching the target through intense and accurate antiaircraft fire and dense balloon barrages at dangerously low altitude, his plane received several direct hits from both large and small caliber antiaircraft guns which seriously damaged his aircraft, causing sheets of escaping gasoline to stream from the bomb bay and from the left wing. This damage was inflicted at a time prior to reaching the target when 2d Lt. Hughes could have made a forced landing in any of the grain fields readily available at that time. The target area was blazing with burning oil tanks and damaged refinery installations from which flames leaped high above the bombing level of the formation. With full knowledge of the consequences of entering this blazing inferno when his airplane was profusely leaking gasoline in two separate locations, 2d Lt. Hughes, motivated only by his high conception of duty which called for the destruction of his assigned target at any cost, did not elect to make a forced landing or turn back from the attack. Instead, rather than jeopardize the formation and the success of the attack, he unhesitatingly entered the blazing area and dropped his bomb load with great precision. After successfully bombing the objective, his aircraft emerged from the conflagration with the left wing aflame. Only then did he attempt a forced landing, but because of the advanced stage of the fire enveloping his aircraft the plane crashed and was consumed. By 2d Lt. Hughes' heroic decision to complete his mission regardless of the consequences in utter disregard of his own life, and by his gallant and valorous execution of this decision, he has rendered a service to our country in the defeat of our enemies which will everlastingly be outstanding in the annals of our Nation's history.

When I was putting this post together, I ran across an interesting fact.  Lt Hughes went to Texas A&M University.  My Children did also.  We moved to College Station to be with them.  Lt Hughes and 8 other A&M Medal of Honor recipients are alumni of A&M.  I read somewhere that there is a room on campus which has pictures, memorabilia and a few of the Medals themselves.  Suffice it to say, I'm going to look a bit further into that and pay it a visit if it's true.

Peace out y'all 

Sources,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lloyd_Herbert_Hughes

https://www.tshaonline.org/handbook/entries/hughes-lloyd-herbert-jr 

https://www.af.mil/Medal-of-Honor/Hughes/ 

 https://www.war.gov/News/Feature-Stories/Story/Article/3107011/medal-of-honor-monday-army-2nd-lt-lloyd-hughes/

https://valor.militarytimes.com/recipient/recipient-2240/ 

https://stories.tamu.edu/stories/9-medal-of-honor-recipients-remembered-for-bravery-and-exemplifying-aggie-core-values/