Charles Olney Brush
Second Lieutenant Charles O. Brush was a Marine pilot serving with MBDAG-41.
He was killed in a training accident near Dana Point, California, on 21 October 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-25717
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered
CONUS Loss
Because this individual died within the limits of the continental United States, they are not tracked by the DPAA.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
January 18, 1923
at Muncie, IN
Parents
Percy Pierson Brush (d. 1940)
Grace Adelaide (Bell) Brush)
Education
Muncie Central High School (1940)
Ball State Teachers College (ex-1944)
Occupation & Employer
College student
Service Life
Entered Service
June 11, 1942 (enlisted)
June 26, 1943 (officer)
Home Of Record
Muncie, IN
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Elizabeth “Betty Lou” (Younce) Brush
Military Specialty
Pilot
Primary Unit
MBDAG-41
Campaigns Served
—
Individual Decorations
—
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Second Lieutenant Charles O. Brush was a Marine Corps aviator. After earning his wings and commission at NATC Corpus Christi, he was assigned to Marine Base Defense Squadron (MBDAG) 41 for additional training as a dive bomber pilot.
On 21 October 1943, while participating in a routine training flight, Lieutenant Brush dove his SBD-5 towards a target off the California coast. He failed to pull out of the dive and crashed into the sea at a point between five and eight miles west of Dana Point. Surface vessels searched the area for several hours but could find nothing more than a large oil slick on the water. Brush was flying alone on this mission, and was the only fatality in the accident.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered.
Memorials
Woodlawn Cemetery, Maxville, Indiana
Devastated by her husband’s death, Betty Lou Brush committed suicide on 1 November 1943. She is buried beside Charles in Woodlawn Cemetery.
Next Of Kin Address
Wartime address of wife, Mrs. Betty Lou Brush.
Betty Lou returned to Muncie immediately following her husband’s death.
Location Of Loss
Approximate location of the crash, noted as “five to eight miles west of Dana Point, California.”
