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Jack Coogan? Glider Pilot?


hhc1stidf
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Listed is Jack Coogan. I had no idea he served in WW II. I even located a National Geographic Magazine showing his glider unit in the China Burma India Theater. Here is the pic in the class photo.

post-6287-1246879983.jpg

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From Wikipedia:

 

Coogan enlisted in the US Army in March 1941. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he requested a transfer to US Army Air Forces as a glider pilot because of his civilian flying experience. After graduating from glider school, he was made a Flight Officer and he volunteered for hazardous duty with the 1st Air Commando Group. In December 1943, the unit was sent to India. He flew British troops, the Chindits, under General Orde Wingate on 5 March 1944, landing them at night in a small jungle clearing 100 miles behind Japanese lines in the Burma campaign.

 

From what I have heard, he would really get PO'd about being treated like a movie star and especially when questioned about his previous marriage to Betty Grable.

 

Tom :thumbsup:

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Comic strip artist Milt Caniff of "Terry and the Pirates" fame supposedly used Jackie Coogan and his 1st Air Commandos as a basis for the comic strip character's exploits during World War II. Coogan was also supposedly used as a basis for Caniff's next cartoon concept- Steve Canyon after Caniff quit drawing his "Terry and the Pirates' strip in 1946.

 

I've had the honor of knowing an Air Commando and even interviewed a couple of them back when the National Glider Pilots Association was still having regular reunions. Everyone I ever talked to about Coogan said that he never lloked for publicity and that he was an excellent officer. The only time you could ever make him mad was when his acting career was brought up.

 

The one big negative that i did get on Coogan was that several years after the war, the Glider Pilots Association invited Coogan to be the keynote speaker at one of their reunions. Coogan's agent responded to the invitation by sending a listing the prices demanded for a public appearance by "Uncle Fester." Needless to say, Coogan wasn't the keynote speaker.

 

Allan

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The one big negative that i did get on Coogan was that several years after the war, the Glider Pilots Association invited Coogan to be the keynote speaker at one of their reunions. Coogan's agent responded to the invitation by sending a listing the prices demanded for a public appearance by "Uncle Fester." Needless to say, Coogan wasn't the keynote speaker.

Allan

 

Even with that negative ending, you've got to admire his life:

 

Movie star at 7.

Married to BETTY GRABLE!

Accomplished WW2 US Army Glider Pilot.

TV Star.

Could screw a light bulb into his mouth and have it light up! :w00t:

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In fairness about the reunion "snub", the Addams Family TV show aired 1964-1966 some 20 years after Coogan's service. His agent probably responded to the request with a standard appearance fee letter not knowing Jackie's history with the GPA. Coogan probably never knew of the invite, or found out about it much later. Some celebrities hire agents because they cannot say no to anybody. Some do it to get the most money out of everything they are involved with. Just an observation by someone who was briefly involved in the "biz" (and found it repulsive). Dave

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In the class photo, Coogan wears officer's insignia -- MINUS rank (no bars that I can see).

 

BUT if Flight Officer was a Warrant grade, why is he not wearing the WARRANT OFFICER cap device and, in place of Air Corps branch of service insignia, the smaller-sized Warrant birds?

 

Was there a REGULATION that allowed Flight Officers to dispense with the Warrant bird and use Lieutenant-like cap device and branch insignia?

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radmanpatches

I go through and read the forum everyday, you never know what you are going to learn!

Thanks for sharing!

Mark

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sgtdorango
In the class photo, Coogan wears officer's insignia -- MINUS rank (no bars that I can see).

 

BUT if Flight Officer was a Warrant grade, why is he not wearing the WARRANT OFFICER cap device and, in place of Air Corps branch of service insignia, the smaller-sized Warrant birds?

 

Was there a REGULATION that allowed Flight Officers to dispense with the Warrant bird and use Lieutenant-like cap device and branch insignia?

I think this was a gray area as far as insignia and such...probably not in the regulations but not frowned upon, I have a small glider pilot group and he happened to be the author of a book about glider pilots and something like that was mentioned in the book if I remember correctly...mike

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Names Listed below the photograph:

Kneeling : left to right

Emil A. Bilodeau, | Ned H. Yarter, | john H. Price, JR., | Jack J. Crawford, JR. | Edward Ferber | Dwight Q. Nelson, | K.O. Jones | Herman C. Gaddis | Ralph Burson | Goerge Thurman Dwyre | Everett T Creasy | William joseph Le Breton | Charles B. Liston | Francis J. Doty | John L. Kotsch | Louis F. Murphy | Bert Humphrey | Earl W. McAnally | Robert Gray Hamilton | Jack Coogan | John E. Gotham | Leonard Borris

 

First Row Standing: left to right

 

Lloyd M. Whitlock | Joe J. Baczuk | James H. Ryan | Robt. C. Karhan | Clifford L. Mueller | Richard I. lapsensohn | Morris L. Johnson | Lem W. Boone, JR. | A. L Fischer | A. S. Davis | Franklin H. Fornear | Virgil G. Davis | John F. Boersig | LT. Milton C. Klugh | Capt. R. W. Hedleston | LT. Edmond kelly | LT. Lee G. Kokernot | Joeph F. Thompson, JR. | Gordon Hooten | Leon T. Workman | R. J. Kester | Robert H. Coe | William Kostiak | Wendell A. Briner | Herbert G. Smiley | LloydR. Nuckolls | George A. De Witt | Arthur D. Smith | Bateman F. Keefe

 

Second Row Standing: left to right

 

James M. Bue | Walter M. Courter | John R. Jackson | Harold I. Moyer | Warren C. Miller | James E. Sever | John T. Rouse | J. F. Euchner | Charles Mokiao | Al. J. Vogel | Wendel H. DRE?KE | William T. Brayton | William D. Corbett | Kenneth P. Vogelheim | Franklin J. Vogelheim | Jerome F. Le Vasseur | Ted W. Walters | Bud Silverman | Robert L. Duffy | John Hancock | Don O’ Hara | Charles F. Scott, JR. | Rex H. Grable | Garnett F. Holland | Walter A. Link | John W. Branch | George W. Kracke | Orville E. stephens | Clifford M. Thompson | Fritz Wilson | Roy W. Sample

 

Third Row Standing: left to right

 

F. V. Wever | Henry R. Benefiel | Harvey Kirkendall | Sam T. Bull | James Rutter | Marion O. Case Goerge E. Becker | John Beale | Elmer C. Johnson | Thomas C. Daly | Philip E. Kafka | Harry P. Thomas, JR. | Robert E. Everett | Oscar V. Barkman, JR. | Edward J. Pirrung | George E. Boyle James W. Campbell | George A. Christenson | Craig A. Combs | Wm. Kelly | Ellis H Shively | Robert W. Kerr | Jule C. Rybolt | Harry W. Andrews | Frank Blood | Paul West | Robert E. Bassel | Victor Indrizzo | John A. Johnson.

 

“THAT’S ALL FOLKS”

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  • 1 year later...
airbornetigers
I found this picture couple of years back of a Glider Pilot class in Victorville California.

My father is in this picture, Joseph Baczuk, 2nd from the left, first row standing. He was not good friends with Jackie Coogan, but said he was the real deal, one of the few movie stars who just wanted to do his job.

 

I'm also trying to find information on my fathers friend next to him - Lloyd Whitlock, and a c-47 tow pilot named Paul Dahl. If you now anything, please respond.

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My father is in this picture, Joseph Baczuk, 2nd from the left, first row standing. He was not good friends with Jackie Coogan, but said he was the real deal, one of the few movie stars who just wanted to do his job.

 

I'm also trying to find information on my fathers friend next to him - Lloyd Whitlock, and a c-47 tow pilot named Paul Dahl. If you now anything, please respond.

 

Sorry! I have no information about Mr Lloyd Whitlock or Paul Dahl All I found was this photo. I did some internet research and found;

 

In Memoriam Lloyd M. Whitlock

 

This is the best I could find. I will try to do some more research

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