James Hale Woodburn
First Lieutenant James H. “Jimmie” Woodburn was a Marine pilot assigned to Marine Air Group 21 (MAG-12).
He failed to return from a night training flight near Efate, New Hebrides, on 22 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
August 27, 1922
at Maryville, MO
Parents
James Henry Woodburn
Cora Jane (Lee) Woodburn
Education
Maryville High School
NW Missouri State Teachers College
Occupation & Employer
Details unknown
Service Life
Entered Service
June 8, 1942 (enlisted)
June 19, 1943 (commission)
Home Of Record
701 East 4th Street
Maryville, MO
Next Of Kin
Wife, Mrs. Beverly J. Woodburn
Military Specialty
Pilot
Individual Decorations
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
James Woodburn received his Marine Corps commission and pilot’s wings at NATC Corpus Christi in the summer of 1943. He spent the next seven months training with fighter squadrons in California before deploying overseas on 2 February 1944. Woodburn was assigned duty with Marine Air Group 21 at Efate, and wrote to his wife Beverly that “he was doing night flying.”
On 22 February 1944, just days after his arrival in theater, Woodburn took off in F4U-1 #02512 for a scheduled night training mission. He never returned to base. Searches for pilot and aircraft proved unsuccessful, and Woodburn was officially reported as missing as of that date. He was ultimately declared dead on 23 February 1945; to this date, the exact circumstances of his loss are unknown.
Burial Information or Disposition
None; remains not recovered.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of wife, Mrs. Beverly Woodburn
Location Of Loss
Woodburn was last known to be in the vicinity of Efate, New Hebrides (now Vanuatu)
