SL-526 - Simon K. Benson, 29 August 2002

Item — cassette: 526

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

Benson (b. 1923) grew up in Parowan, Utah. He discusses his family, farming, schooling, and work. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps, was inducted at Fort Douglas, and sent to Pullman, Washington, for civilian flight training in March 1943. From there, his training included: pre-flight at Santa Ana, California; basic flight at Marana Air Base in Tucson, Arizona; and advanced training at Pecos, Texas. He was sent to Yuma, Arizona, for B-17 gunnery training before joining his crew in Lincoln, Nebraska. Transported across the Atlantic on the Queen Mary in March 1945, he joined the 8th Air Force, 94th Bombardment Group, 410th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy) at Bury St. Edmund, England. His first mission was in April 1945. He completed six missions before the war ended. After the war, he helped ship supplies into Germany and other war-affected countries. He returned home during the summer of 1946 for discharge. Benson worked as a school teacher in civilian life. Interviewed by Benjamin Bahlmann.

Dates

29 August 2002

Language of Materials

From the Collection: Collection material in English.

Conditions Governing Access

Materials must be used on-site; no use of original material, access copies will be made available for viewing. All items have been digitized and are available. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law, condition of the material, or by donor.