John Wayne Wallingford was born May 1, 1921 in Appenzell Pennsylvania. He was inducted into the Army Air Corp on February 1, 1943 as an Air Cadet and entered Western Reserve University on March 8, 1943 for Aviation Cadet training in the Army Air Force Flying Training Command. Pre-flight training: Maxwell Field, Alabama (Col. Bowling) July 4, 1943. Primary training: Ocala, Florida (Major Cooper) August 30, 1943. Basic training: Bainbridge, Georgia (Col. Savage) November 4, 1943. Advance training: Marianna, Florida (Col. J.W. Persons) January 17, 1944. He received his pilot wings and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant on March 12, 1944. He was a flight instructor at Bainbridge Army Air Field, Bainbridge, Georgia from March 26, 1944 to September 18, 1944. On June 11, 1944, he married Leola Warner of Swiftwater, Pennsylvania in Bainbridge, Georgia. He entered a pilot training course on four-engine Liberator bombers (B-24’s and B-29’s) on September 20, 1944 at Maxwell Field, Alabama. Upon completion of his training, he received his over-seas assignment and arrived in Saipan on July 27, 1945 as a B-29 pilot (Airplane Commander) in the 497th Bomb Group, 869th Bomb Squadron, Crew #873. The rest of the crew was: Co-pilot Robert W Schuessler; Navigator Henry J Ramey Jr.; Bombardier Marvin McMillan Jr.; Radar-Observer Edmund T Ames; Flight Engineer Gerald L Guppy; Radio Operator Joseph D Rossi; Remote Control Turret John E Bressler; Electrical Mechanical Gunner Mario J DeMartinis; Aerial Gunner (Waist) Michael Derkac and Aerial Gunner (Tail) George E Keegan. Their first bombing mission was to Osaka, Japan on August 14, 1945. Japan surrendered on August 15, 1945 so the remaining missions were POW and “Snooper” missions. He returned home in 1946 and was discharged from the Air Force as a First Lieutenant. He served the remainder of his time in Reserves, being promoted to Captain and then Major and was discharged from the Air Force Reserves on June 30, 1970. He passed away on October 14, 2005 at the age of 84. After his family, he was most proud of his time as a B-29 pilot and being able to serve his country. For this reason, we are honoring our father by placing his name on the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum’s Wall of Honor. Given in loving memory by John G. Wallingford, Peggy A. Saylor and David P. Wallingford.