Army Air Force Officer Tunics

Thought I would post a picture of some officer tunics that I have that are part of groupings in my collection.
Lt Colonel Howard "HI" I. Price - flew P47 (also in Korea)
Lt. L. L. Montgomery - flew P51
Captain James Murphy flew P47 (also in Korea)

 

Those are really nice, you are very fortunate to have them.

 

Lt. Colonel Price had a very distinguished career including an interesting adventure...

On April 11, 1945, his P-47 Thunderbolt was shot down by ground fire over Germany’s Ruhr Valley and was captured by the German infantry. During his 11 days as a POW he convinced 282 German soldiers and officers to surrender. Price and eight other POWs marched the surrendering troops to the U.S. 8th Infantry Division at Wupertal, Germany.

 

Do you have any more of that interesting story to share? Sounds pretty cool.

 

Below is his Bio from the "510th Fighter Squadron Association". I also attached a picture of the armband he liberated from one of the German soldiers and is framed with some of his pictures taken with them. I also have his fighter jet helmet from Korea. Hope you enjoy

Lt. Colonel Howard "Hi" I. Price, born September 15, 1918, passed away at home on June 11, 2011 in Bradenton, Florida.

"Hi" was a veteran, having served in the United States Army and in the United States Air Force during WWII and Korea. He flew 157 combat missions in WWII and the Korean War and was credited with three air kills. “Hi” served as a Squadron Officer, Squadron Commander, Academic Instructor, Operations Officer, jet fighter pilot, Flight Commander of the 97th Fighter Bomber Squadron, 18th Fighter Bomber Group, 325th Fighter-Interceptor Squadron, 67th Fighter Bomber Group, 405 Fighter Squadron. Of the hundreds of missions he flew, 57 missions were with the 510th Fighter Squadron.

On April 11, 1945, his P-47 Thunderbolt was shot down by ground fire over Germany’s Ruhr Valley and was captured by the German infantry. During his 11 days as a POW he convinced 282 German soldiers and officers to surrender. Price and eight other POWs marched the surrendering troops to the U.S. 8th Infantry Division at Wupertal, Germany.

During his distinguished Air Force career he was awarded the Air Medal, Commendation Medal, Presidential Unit Citation, Combat Readiness American Campaign European Theater, Victory WWII Army of Occupation, National Defense Korean Service United Nations, Korean Presidential Unit Citation, Distinguished Flying Cross, POW Medal and 13 Oak Leaf Clusters.

Howard “Hi” Price will be buried at Sarasota National Cemetery. He is survived by his son, Howard II; his daughter, Barbara; four grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren.

 

Great displays and story. How did you end up with his military stuff?

 

Have some connections from collecting through the years. When something special comes up I sometimes get a call. I always want to make sure
Items are handled with respect and protected so that they can be saved for future generations. I volunteer some time at my local high school and use many of the items in my collection for teaching opportunities. I have also brought them to some of our local nursing/retirement homes to show our vets to bring back memories and have them open up about there experiences.

 

Nice stuff. Rich A. in Pa.