Lost in World War II

Lt. Col. Harold Chaffin was an Arkansas local who gave his life in service of America during World War II. Born Nov. 28, 1913, in Sebastian County, he grew up to join the U.S. Army Air Force in the late 1930s, completing flight school at Kelly Field, Texas.

During the war, Chaffin flew a B-17 Flying Fortress, becoming one of 12 men flying their B-17s into Oahu during the attack on Pearl Harbor. During the attack, he could not manage a landing at an extremely damaged Hickam Field, going on to land his B-17 at Haleiwa Airfield, an airfield meant only for fighter jets. This extraordinary landing merited being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Gen. Douglas MacArthur bestowing the award upon him and one other pilot. He continued to serve the United States in the war, helping in the evacuation of MacArthur from the Philippines, and was deployed to Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, in March of 1943.

On March 26, 1943, he and 11 other men, including Brig. Gen. Howard Knox Ramey, left on a flight to Horn Island, Australia. After departure, no one on board the flight was ever heard from again, and it is unknown whether the bomber was shot down or if the disappearance of the flight was simply an accident. Everyone on the flight was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart after officially being declared KIA on Nov. 19, 1945. The wreckage of their flight, B-17 Flying Fortress 4124384, has never been found.

His story has been passed down through the generations, and as the 80th anniversary of his disappearance approaches on March 26 of this year, it has now been shared with Arkansas citizens who wish to honor the memory of one of many who served in WWII.

ABIGAIL PRESTON Van Buren