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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Tomi Hessenberger

After graduating from Northwestern University, Clement "Buzz" Bertolino enlisted in the service as a private in 1943. After completing radio operator-mechanic school, he applied for the Air Corps Cadet program. He qualified for all three flying officer positions, and chose navigation. After intensive training, he was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and received his wings.

He and his crew trained together before picking up a new B-24. they flew from Mitchell Field, Long Island to Valley, Wales. Buzz completed 16 missions over Germany with the 93rd. Bomb Group of the 8th. Air Force. His crew was known as "Ted's Flying Circus."

After VJ Day, Buzz mustered out, but was recalled to duty in 1950 to serve in the Korean Conflict. He spent the next two and a half years flying C-97 Boeing Stratocruisers evacuating wounded from Tokyo to Honolulu and Travis Air Base in California.

On one flight, Buzz attempted to the advantage of the Jet Stream to shorten the flight by skipping the stop at Midway Island He headed the flight 20 degrees north of the normal route and as a result navigated the first nonstop flight from Tokyo to Hickham Air Field.

This action shortened the flight from 13 hrs. 26 mins. to 10 hrs. 30 mins. He made some minor corrections and found the route that was then used by all flights and was adopted by Pan American Airways and others for pan-Pacific flights

After leaving the Air Force, Buzz worked at Richards-Gebaur Air Base with Air Communications Services as head historian for the 10th Air Force. In 1971, he donated his flight logs and other personal materials to the 2nd Air Force Memorial Library in Norwich, England.

Today, Buzz is working as a docent at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base Museum informing the public about the planes he flew and the exploits of "Ted's Flying Circus".