Lieut. Meents Is Missing
Sioux Cityan Piloted Bomber in Raid Over Germany
Second Lieut. Edward P. Meents, serving as pilot on a bomber in one of the raids over Germany, has been reported as missing in action since February 25, in a telegram from the war department received by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. John Schultz, 1500 Pierce Street.
Lieut. Meents had been awarded an air medal for completing five successful missions and was in line for another medal at the time of his disappearance. He had been with the American air force bombing squadron in England since about December 1.
Miss Orgine Meents, sister of the lieutenant, said Saturday that the family is of the opinion that he is a war prisoner somewhere in Germany. Usually American pilots are expert enough to bail out when their planes are shot down by the enemy, if there is any possible change of doing so, and Lieut. Meents was no exception to this rule, she pointed out.
He took civilian pilot training at Morningside College, and went into active service last November after graduating at Stockton, Cal. He served in Africa about three weeks before going to England.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, March 19, 1944 (photo included)
Lieut. Meents Listed Missing
Central High Graduate Awarded Air Medal
Second Lieut. Edward P. Meents, former Sioux Cityan now missing in action, was awarded an air medal recently somewhere in England by the commanding officer of a Liberator bomb division. He is the son of Mrs. John Schultz, 1500 Pierce Street.
The citation was made for exceptionally meritorious achievement while participating in five separate bomber combat missions over enemy occupied continental Europe.
The young man, a graduate of Central High School, was a salesman for Montgomery Ward & Co., and attended Morningside College from 1940 to June of 1941. He was co-pilot of a Liberator.
He entered aviation cadet training July 3, 1942 and was graduated from advanced flying school at Stockton, Cal., July 27, 1943. He previously had served a year and a half enlistment period with the signal corps at Fort Des Moines in 1937 – 38.
His overseas combat training was received here at the Sioux City army air base.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, March 30, 1944
2nd Lt. Edward P. Meents served in World War II with the U.S. Army Air Corps 714th Bomber Squadron, 448th Bomber Group, Heavy and was MIA/KIA. He is memorialized at the Tablets of the Missing, Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, England. He was awarded the Air Medal and Purple Heart.
Source: ancestry.com
