Draft:Sammy A. Pierce

Sammy Alpheus Pierce (August 25, 1921-January 9, 2010) was a U. S. Army Air Force fighter pilot and ace in World War II.

Early Life
Sammy was raised on a farm in Pitt County, NC near the town of Ayden. He graduated Ayden H.S. in 1938 and attended North Carolina State College for one year before enlisting in the Army. He was an enlisted crew chief on primary trainer biplanes when he was accepted to pilot training.

World War II
He attended pilot training, Phase I, Primary, at Hatfield Box Field, Muscogee, OK, Phase II, Basic, at Woodring Field, Enid, OK, and Phase III, Advanced, at Ellington Field, Houston, TX. He graduated as a flying sergeant (the equivalent of a staff sergeant) in September 1942. He went through fighter transition training at Pinellas Army Airfield, St Petersburg, FL before he was assigned to the 49th Fighter Group (FG) in the Pacific Theater.

Sammy and seven other flying sergeants from Pinellas arrived in Brisbane, Australia in December 1942. The 49th FG assigned him to the 8th Fighter Squadron (FS) at Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea (PNG) flying the Curtiss P-40E.

Sammy achieved his first confirmed victory, a Mitsubishi A6M fighter, called a "Zero" or "Zeke" by the Allies, on April 11, 1943. He also received credit for a "probable" Mitsubishi GM4 "Betty" bomber. On May 14, 1943, he shot down one confirmed Betty bomber and one confirmed Zeke fighter.

On October 16, 1943, Sammy bailed out of a P-40N behind Japanese lines. He evaded Japanese patrols and reached an Australian beachhead, Scarlet Beach, with a severely injured shoulder. He underwent surgery in Sydney, Australia and was sent to the U.S. for rehab. When he returned to flight duty he flew P-51Bs as a test pilot at Dayton, OH and P-51Ds as an instructor pilot at Pinellas, FL. He returned to the 8th FS, 49th FG in October 1944 at Biak Island. The squadron was converting to P-38Js in preparation for the invasion of the Philippines. Sammy flew P-38s for the remainder of WWII.

He had his best day flying out of Tacloban Field, Leyte Island, on December 26, 1944, when he shot down four confirmed fighters, three Zekes and one Nakajima Ki-44 "Tojo." He also shot down one "probable" Zeke that disappeared into the clouds as the airplane was disintegrating. When the Japanese surrendered Sammy had been promoted through the ranks from private to captain and was the 8th FS Operations Officer. He scored seven confirmed victories and five probable victories. Over 2,500 Army Air Force pilots began their flying careers as flying sergeants. Sammy was one of only 18 who achieved the status of "Ace."

Post War
He married Frances Sawyer in 1946 and they had six children. Frances died in Ayden, NC in 1987. He married a widow, Dorothy Gibbs Crouch, and had three step-children. Sammy died January 9, 2010, at home in Ayden, age 88.

He made a career in the Air Force, primarily in Civil Engineering, and flew over 30 different varieties of aircraft. He retired as a lieutenant colonel after 23 years of service. He worked as a contractor to the Air Force for several years in Georgia, Texas, Turkey, and Saudi Arabia.

Honors and awards
He flew 287 combat missions for 765 hours during WWII. He was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, two Purple Hearts, and five Air Medals.

His Distinguished Service Cross Citation reads:

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Sammy A. Pierce (0-888656/T00190601), First Lieutenant (Air Corps), U.S. Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a P-38 Fighter Airplane in the 8th Fighter Squadron, 49th Fighter Group, FIFTH Air Force, in aerial combat against enemy forces on 26 December 1944, in the Southwest Pacific Area of Operations. On this date First Lieutenant Pierce shot down four enemy aircraft in a single mission. First Lieutenant Pierce's unquestionable valor in aerial combat is in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflects great credit upon himself, the 5th Air Force, and the United States Army Air Forces.

Headquarters: U.S. Forces-Pacific, General Orders No. 51 (1945)

Home Town: Ayden, North Carolina

Awards

Distinguished Service Cross

Silver Star

Distinguished Flying Cross

Air Medal (5)

Purple Heart (2)

Presidential Unit Citation (4)

American Defense Service Medal

American Campaign Medal

Asia Pacific Campaign Medal (10)

World War II Victory Medal

Army Occupation Medal (Japan)

National Defense Service Medal

Air Force Longevity Service Ribbon (5)

Philippine Liberation Medal

Philippine Independence Medal (3)