Lieutenant Clarence Edwin Huston
Clarence Edwin Huston was born in Kansas on October 12, 1920 to Mr. and Mrs. B L Huston. The family moved to Hatch NM prior to 1930 and Clarence graduated from Hatch HS in 1939. The following year he enrolled at NMAMC and attended one year studying Engineering. Leaving school he moved to California and was living in San Bernardino when he was inducted into the USAAF in 1943. After entering he was shipped to Maxwell Field for training as a Navigator and in April 1944 was shipped to England where he was assigned as a Navigator on B-17’s in the 326th Bomb Squadron, 92nd Bomb Group. The group was flying out of Podington Station England. He successfully completed his first three combat missions and was awarded a three day leave. However, he volunteered to fill a vacant navigator slot on a B-17 flying the next day for a strike in France. On May 20, 1944 B-17G # 42-32001 , with Lt Clarence Huston on board as the volunteer navigator, took off at 0721 (local time) in very poor visibility. The airplane was the 20th B-17 in the take-off order, taking off one minute after the preceding B-17. The B-17 veered off of the left side of the runway, rolling in the grass left of the runway for about 600 feet. The airplane continued the take-off and re-crossed the take-off runway, veering off the right hand side of the runway. The airplane "bounced" along and crossed the perimeter track and then struck a concrete wall with the number-four propeller and engine.
One propeller blade was knocked off. The airplane, which was apparently barely airborne, then collided with wooded terrain and crashed to the ground off the end of the runway, exploding into flames. The bomb load detonated a few minutes later. All ten crewmembers were killed. The explosion closed the runway for four days as the fires continued to burn. The asphalt was too hot to allow entry to repair the crater that was formed from the blast. No recovery of bodies was possible in such circumstances. Today Lt Clarence Edwin Huston is remembered by a bronze plaque at the Grants Pass cemetery In Oregon. His sister was responsible for placement of the plaque. Lt Clarence Edwin Huston was 23 years of age at the time he gave his life in service to his nation.