Hendry Head Hardin
Second Lieutenant Hendry H. Hardin was a Marine pilot assigned to Marine Air Group 21 (MAG-21).
He was killed on a training flight near Efate, New Hebrides, on 23 February 1944.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-24696
Current Status
Remains not recovered
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
May 30, 1917
in Troy, TN
Parents
Leland Stanford Hardin
Catherine E. (Dickey) Hardin (d. 1931)
Education
Clearwater High School
University of Tampa
Occupation & Employer
College student / RCAF
Service Life
Entered Service
June 10, 1942 (enlisted)
June 22, 1943 (commission)
Home Of Record
609 East Turner Street
Clearwater, FL
Next Of Kin
Father, Mr. Leland S. Hardin
Military Specialty
Pilot
Individual Decorations
Purple Heart
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Hendry Hardin, a well-known athlete at the University of Tampa, left school after his sophomore year to join the Royal Canadian Air Force. He was training in Toronto when the United States entered the war, and requested a discharge to join the American war effort. Hardin returned to the States in June 1942 and enlisted in the Navy as an aviation cadet; he went on to earn his pilot’s wings and a Marine Corps commission at Pensacola a year later. In late 1943, he deployed overseas and joined Headquarters Squadron, MAG-21 at Espiritu Santo. The following January, he was posted to Efate for Special Temporary Aviation Duty with Marine Air Group 12.
On 23 February 1944, Hardin took off in F4U-1 #17433 for scheduled gunnery practice. The exact sequence of events that followed is not clear, but after making a run at a towed target, Hardin’s plane crashed into the sea northeast of Moso Island. His remains could not be recovered from the scene.
Although Hardin died on a training flight, a post-war review of his case determined he was killed in action and eligible for the Purple Heart.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of father, Mr. Leland Hardin.
Location Of Loss
Hardin crashed northeast of Moso Island, Efate, New Hebrides (now Vanuatu).
