Foil: 6 Panel: Distinguished Flying Cross Society Column: 1 Line: 12

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:

Dick A. Leabo was born in Walcott, Iowa on 30 October 1921, and graduated from Davenport High School in 1939. He received the BS, MA, and PhD degrees from the University of Iowa. In 1955 he married Artis Vande Voort. Their only son, Thomas William, died in an auto accident in 1977 at age 20.

In January, 1943 Leabo entered the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) and was sent to Miami Beach, FL for basic training before being assigned to the Nashville Classification Center for aviation cadets. He was classified as a bombardier-navigator and was sent to Preflight School at Ellington Field, Houston, TX. Later he completed Gunnery School at Laredo, TX. After returning to Houston, Leabo graduated from the Bombardier School, class of 43-17, at Midland, TX as a 2ndLt.

At Hammer Field, Fresno, CA he was assigned to a crew of 10 in a B-24 bomber and was sent to March Field, Riverside, CA and flew in an Overseas Training Unit (OTU). Then followed an assignment at Hamilton Field, San Francisco, CA to check out a B-24 for duty overseas. A USAAC change of plans sent the crew to Langley Field, VA for low altitude radar bombing training, followed by orders in early 1944 to report to Gander Bay Newfoundland for overseas assignment.

After landing at Lagens (Lajes) Field, Azores Islands, the crew then headed for Marrakech, Africa, El Aquin Field, Tunis, Africa, Payne Field, Cairo, Egypt, Abadan Field, Abadan, Iran, Karachi and Agra, India. From Chabua, India the crew flew the "Hump" to Chengkung, China where they joined the Flying Tigers of the 14th Air Force, 308th BG, 375th BS. During 1944-45 the crew operated out of Liuchow, Kweilin, and Suichwan flying 26 combat missions to such targets as the harbors at Hong Kong, and Taipei, Formosa. Other long missions were to Shanghai and Leyte, Philippines and many sea sweeps in the South China Sea. The 26 missions totaled 300 hours of combat flying.

Leabo returned to the USA via Africa, Ascension Island, Natal, Brazil, to Cuba and on to Miami, FL. Leabo was promoted to 1stLt and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Theatre Ribbon with six Battle Stars, the Chinese War Memorial Medal, American Theatre Ribbon, and the Victory Medal. Leabo ended his military career as a flight line instructor at San Angelo, TX Bombardier School and later was placed on inactive duty at Lincoln, NE. After ten years in the Air Force Reserves, Leabo received an Honorable Discharge in March, 1955.

Leabo spent his academic career as a Professor at the University of Iowa, Michigan State University, and the University of Michigan. At the latter, he was honored with the Fred M. Taylor Endowed Distinguished Professor of Statistics. In 1965 Leabo was a Visiting Professor at the Rotterdam School of Economics. He is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in the World, Who's Who in the Midwest, Who's Who in Consulting, and several other special biographies. Leabo is the author of five statistics textbooks and 25 professional journal articles. He also wrote Alone in the Solitude of Memories, a book about surviving the loss of an only child, and Flying Tiger Tales.