Hometown honors U.S. Navy pilot 75 years after heroism during the Battle of Midway
ALBANY, N.Y. — C. Wade McClusky Jr. faced a tough decision June 4, 1942: turn his low-on-fuel U.S. Navy air squadron around or keep searching for the Japanese fleet headed for Midway.
He decided to go on and wound up changing history.
The dive bombers McClusky led that day in the Battle of Midway helped to gut the Imperial Japanese Navy and turned the tide of the war in the Pacific in the Allies’ favor after a string of defeats following the attack on Pearl Harbor.
On Sunday, 75 years to the day of his heroics, a clay model of a planned bronze statue of McClusky is being unveiled in his hometown of Buffalo, N.Y., as part of a new public memorial dedicated to local war heroes. McClusky, who died in 1976, is depicted as he looked after returning from the June 4, 1942, attack, wearing his flight suit, flying helmet and goggles.
“Wade McClusky finally will be getting his due recognition ,” said Lee Simons on, one of the organizers behind the event and the fundraising effort for the memorial. “He’s one of the greatest heroes in American history.”
When the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor drew America into the war, McClusky was a lieutenant commander in charge of the air squadron aboard the USS Enterprise.
In late May 1942, a large Japanese fleet was steaming toward the U.S. sea and air bases on Midway atoll, about 1,300 miles northwest of Honolulu. McClusky’s air squadron was tasked with finding the Japanese warships and sinking them. Despite the inside information, the planes initially were sent in the wrong direction.
More time and fuel were wasted as McClusky’s group circled while waiting for other carrier-based planes that didn’t show up. McClusky was faced with a choice: return to the Enterprise or keep searching. He kept going.
According to the U.S. Navy’s official account of the battle, McClusky soon spotted a Japanese destroyer and correctly surmised it was headed toward the main Japanese fleet. Around 10:20 a.m., he led 30 other dive bombers into the attack against the Japanese aircraft carriers.
When the day was over, the pilots had sunk three carriers and severely damaged a fourth.
For his action sat Midway, McClusky was awardedthe Navy Cross, one of the U.S. military’s highest decorations. He retired as a rear admiral in 1956.
According to his son, Phil, the tribute is something the Navy hero would’ve never sought.
“He was a quiet guy. He was not a big talker,” said the son, 63, who lives outside Baltimore and plans to attend Sunday’s ceremony. “He was a professional naval officer.”