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NAME Wayne Willis Laird |
NICKNAME — |
SERVICE NUMBER O-10348 |
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| UNIT VMF-112 Pilot |
HOME OF RECORD 460 25th Street Merced, CA |
NEXT OF KIN Father, Mr. R. H. Laird |
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| DATE OF BIRTH May 16, 1919 at Sacramento, CA |
ENTERED SERVICE June 16, 1942 (commissioned) at Corpus Christi, TX |
DATE OF LOSS April 30, 1943 |
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| REGION Vanuatu (New Hebrides) |
CAMPAIGN / AREA Espiritu Santo |
CASUALTY TYPE Missing, Not In Action Declared Dead May 1, 1944 |
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CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS On 30 April 1943, Lieutenant Laird took one of the squadron’s aircraft (F4U-1 02261) aloft for a high-altitude radio and engine test. Forty-five minutes after departure, he radioed the field to report that all was well. However, he never returned to Espiritu Santo. No definitive trace of Lieutenant Laird was ever found; he was declared dead as of 1 May 1944. |
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| INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal (2) |
LAST KNOWN RANK First Lieutenant (posthumous Captain) |
STATUS OF REMAINS Not recovered. |
MEMORIALS Mount Zion Cemetery, Rochester, IN Manila American Cemetery |
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Biography:
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My sister, who lives in Atwater, CA, saw a street sign with his name on it near Merced College in Merced, CA two days ago. So, I looked him up. My maternal grandfather was R. B. Laird, who had lived in Merced and had Laird Welding and Mfg for many years. i wonder if Walter was related to us. I know my grandfather had a brother he called Jack, but didn’t know if he lived in Merced or had kids. Interesting.
My mom raised her four kids in Atwater, after we were born in Merced.
Interesting. I wonder if we were related to the missing marine.