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Wall of Honor Level:
Air and Space Friend

Honored by:
Mr. Jesse Vanderzanden

John Barlow Harding volunteered for service in the U.S. Army Air Force in 1941. On June 6, 1941 he was inducted with 20 fellow Oregonians into the Army Air Corps. John quickly rose through the ranks to become a Major at the age of 21. He received a regular commission in 1946.

Major Harding was one of the first to fly B-17E missions in the European Theater. His first mission was over Rotterdam in 1942. Through the War, John flew a total of 57 missions, seven from England and 50 in North Africa. He never suffered the loss of an airplane or a crewmember - though he endured a crash landing in North Africa.

While on a routine mission from San Francisco, California to Portland, Oregon on (March 23,1948) Major Harding's C-47 crash landed due to wind sheer in a forested area 20 miles northeast of Portland, Oregon. Two of ten crew members survived the crash and ensuing deprivations. On the third day, two loggers coincidentally rescued Major Harding and the other surviving crewmember. Major Harding's leg had broken during the landing and suffered from frostbite and walking. His leg was amputated below the knee. Recovery took one year at Letterman General Hospital at The Presidio in San Francisco. Major Harding was simultaneously discharged from service (due to disability) and released from the hospital in March of 1949.

When asked "why the Air Force?" He answered, "I just wanted to fly."