Foil: 7 Panel: 4 Column: 4 Line: 16

Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Ms. Sheryl A. Hockenbery

Profilel: Major James H. Scroggie Jr. served a distinguished career as an aviator in the armed forces of the United States of America. He received his navigation training at Selman Field in Munroe, LA, and advanced transition training at Eastern Air Lines in Miami, FL before being sent to Burma in 1943. There he flew undefended C-46 Curtiss Commando Transports for 110 combat hours over the "hump" of the Himalayan Mountains navigating mostly on instruments because of foul weather: constant cloud cover, frequent violent thunderstorms, and tricky wind currents in that dangerous terrain....When the weather was clear the crews had to contend with Japanese Zero ack-ack fire. Upon returning from his missions Lt. Scroggie was quoted as follows: " The C46 is unprotected and when a Zero comes along, your only hope is to dive into the clouds. We always tried to get into the clouds or to dive into the valleys, protected from above by the clouds. The Zeros can't fly by instrument,!
so they don't dare follow you down. Once three Zeros suddenly appeared right on us, coming from our left, as we were crossing the last ridge before reaching home. We barely made that ridge, then dived from 9000 feet into what we called Ft. Hertz Valley. That saved us." Lt. Scroggie was the navigator on the plane that completed the first trip over those mountains for the purpose of giving aid to China, and he also navigated the plane that dropped medical supplies to Eric Severeid, NBC correspondent, who was shot down August 3, 1943. He served as a navigation briefing officer from March 1943 to December 1945 at which time he entered the reserve forces.

Lt. Scroggie was recalled to active duty in October 1950 and completed 254 combat hours in B-29s over Korea. He then had continuous service in SAC navigating B47s and B52s. His tours included; Hunter AFB, GA (375th Bomb Squadron 308th Bomb Wing /374th Bomb Squadron/2nd Bomb Wing) as a bombardier -navigator on B47s and McCoy AFB, FL(321st Bomb Wing/ 321st Strategic Wing/ 4047th Strategic Wing ) as a B52 master navigator. He died while serving as Assistant Operations Officer (TUSLOG Det 94) in Karamursel, Turkey in February 1965.

He was survived by his loving wife Sylvia, who passed away in 1993, and daughters Sheryl Ann, Janice Lee, and Ann Marie who cherish his memory as an outstanding officer and father.