When I was younger and starting to gather information, pictures, documents and anything I could on my family I went with my grandma to a cemetery in Los Angeles and she told me about her uncle who had been lost in the Pacific during WWII.
His name is Grant Lewis Judd, son of George Thomas Judd & Margaret Jennette Lewis. He was born August 13, 1912 in Provo, Utah. He was the youngest of their 6 children. On August 17, 1940 he was married to Irma Foster.
His older sister, Mame Marguerite Judd Hayes wrote about him in the second half of her autobiography dated August 8, 1977:
"My brother Grant had graduated in Salt Lake before he came down to L.A. He worked for awhile, turning over his pay check to my mother and father. He supported them for over a year. Then he went to night school to become a navigator for the airlines. He went to work for United Air Lines as a navigator. He was a good one and started flying between Los Angeles and Australia. This was at the beginning of the war with Japan and his plane flew many officers from Corregador in the Phillipines back to the States. The United States didn't have enough planes to perform these duties so they leased the planes from the United Air Lines. Because of war regulations the personnel had to wear uniforms of the Coast Guard. Grant was assigned as Captain. He had flown a half dozen missions when the folks were notified that his plane had gone down in the "drink," near Canton Island on February 7, 1943. The folks were devastated as were we all. He was our "little brother" although he was over 6 feet tall, and we all loved him. After a short time during which it was hard to get any confirmation, it was finally established that his plane had gone down a mile and a half off shore, as the plane had lowered its wheels ready for landing at Canton Island. Eighteen high-ranking officers went down too. The only ones who survived were the co-pilot and a sargeant and aide to one of the officers. I don't think my folks ever got over his loss. They received a citation from President Truman."
I am dedicating this Memorial Day to him and others like him. Remember when you are out enjoying the day the day off that this is the day to remember those who have given their lives for our country. It is because of them we have our freedoms today.
Service record is from Ancestry.com,
Story was written in 1977 by Marguerite Judd Hayes, the second half of her autobiography,
Obituary is from Familysearch.org
Thank you, my father's uncle--appreciate the posting
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