Major James Goodson

James A. Goodson born in New York, March 21, 1921, visited Europe as a student prior to the war and was aboard the S.S. Athenia when it was torpedoed on September 3, 1939. He was rescued by a Norwegian ship and brought back to England where in 1940 he joined the RAF and was a member of the Eagle Squadron. In September 1942 following the U.S. entry into the war, he was transferred to the U.S.A.A.F. where he commanded the 336 Squadron of the 4th Fighter Group. He participated in more than 100 missions including Schweinfurt, Vienna, Poznan, Berlin, Hamburg, the Ruhr, Stuttgart, Pforzheim, etc. In June 1944 during the invasion of Normandy, his mission was to defend the beach-head and to prevent enemy reinforcements from arriving in the battle area. In July 1944 he was shot down during a low-level-mission. He was a prisoner of war for one year after which he was given responsibility for the repatriation of Allied Air Force personnel. He ended the war with the rank of Colonel having been awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross with eight Oakleaf Clusters, the Silver Star, the Purple Heart, the Air Medal with twenty Oakleaf Clusters and 32 confirmed victories (15 air) to his credit.