Captain Harl Pease Jr. served as a B-17 pilot in the 93rd Bombardment Squadron of the 19th Bomb Group, U.S. Army Air Corps, operating in the Pacific Theater. By August 1942, he and his crew had already distinguished themselves flying combat missions.

On August 5, 1942, during a bombing mission over New Guinea, an engine on Captain Pease’s B-17 bomber failed, forcing him to return to an Australian base. He soon learned that his squadron was scheduled for a crucial maximum-effort attack on a heavily defended Japanese airfield near Rabaul, New Britain, the following day, August 7th. Although his primary aircraft was out of commission and he was not scheduled to fly, Captain Pease was determined to join the mission.

An Act of Extraordinary Determination

He and his crew volunteered to select and work on the most serviceable aircraft at the base—one that had been deemed unready for combat missions, though still airworthy. They labored to prepare the battered bomber for the long, dangerous flight. Departing early in the morning, Captain Pease flew almost continuously throughout the day, skillfully piloting the “unserviceable” B-17 to rejoin his squadron at Port Moresby, New Guinea, at 1 a.m. on August 7th.

With only three hours of rest, he took off with his squadron for the attack on Rabaul. Captain Pease, flying on the exposed wing of the formation, maintained his position throughout the long flight.

Contempt for Personal Danger

Before reaching the target, the squadron was intercepted by a force of approximately thirty Japanese Zero fighter planes. Captain Pease’s aircraft bore the brunt of the hostile assault, but through his gallantry and the accurate shooting of his crew, he succeeded in destroying several enemy fighters. Despite continuous attack, he pushed through to the target and successfully dropped his bomb load on the hostile base as planned.

The intense air battle lasted 25 minutes before the group dove into cloud cover. However, due to damage sustained in the fight, Captain Pease’s plane fell behind the main formation. Enemy pursuit aircraft renewed their assault, succeeding in igniting one of his bomb bay fuel tanks, which he was seen to jettison in flames.

The plane did not return to base, and Captain Pease and his crew were initially listed as missing. Post-war accounts, corroborated by a Roman Catholic Priest, Father George Lepping, who was a prisoner nearby, revealed the tragic end: Captain Pease and one of his crewmen were captured and held in a Japanese camp near Rabaul. On October 8, 1942, Captain Pease, along with three other Americans and two Australian prisoners, was taken into the jungle, forced to dig their own grave, and executed by the sword.

Captain Pease’s final, voluntary mission materially contributed to the success of the group. For his high devotion to duty, valor, and complete contempt for personal danger, Captain Harl Pease Jr. was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on December 2, 1942.

We remember his determination and ultimate sacrifice, a legacy immortalized in our state. The facility now known as Pease Air National Guard Base (formerly Pease Air Force Base) is named in honor of this American hero.