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NAME Roy Lathin Booth |
NICKNAME Spike |
SERVICE NUMBER O-11357 |
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| UNIT VMO-251 Pilot |
HOME OF RECORD Route 2, Elkhart, KS |
NEXT OF KIN Mother, Mrs. Mary E. Booth |
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| DATE OF BIRTH March 8, 1917 |
ENTERED SERVICE 1941 |
DATE OF LOSS December 21, 1942 |
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| REGION Vanuatu (New Hebrides) |
CAMPAIGN / AREA Espiritu Santo |
CASUALTY TYPE Non-Battle Death |
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| CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS Second Lieutenant Roy L. Booth was a Marine pilot assigned to VMO-251 in the winter of 1942. On 21 December 1942, pilots of VMO-251 were engaged in routine training exercises off the island of Espiritu Santo. A number of former dive-bomber pilots, including “Spike” Booth, were learning how to handle their new Wildcat fighters. During one practice dive, Lieutenant Booth’s aircraft (F4F-3 Bureau Number 3998) failed to pull out and simply plowed straight into the ocean. No explanation could be given for the accident. Lieutenant Booth was declared dead on the day of the crash; his body could not be recovered. |
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| INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS — |
LAST KNOWN RANK Second Lieutenant |
STATUS OF REMAINS Not recovered |
MEMORIALS Elmhurst Cemetery, Guymon, OK Manila American Cemetery |
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