BEAST Posted August 25, 2013 Share #1 Posted August 25, 2013 Staff Sergeant Gran V. Corder was a gunner on a B-26, serving with the 495th Bomb Squadron, 344th Bomb Group flying out of Stansted, England. On 25 August 1944, shortly after take-off Corder's pilot, William H. Geary radioed that he was on one engine and was going to crash land. Immediately after landing, the B-26 burst into flames, killing the entire crew. In honor of the anniversary of his death, I thought I would post the Purple Heart presented to his family. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HistoryNut Posted August 25, 2013 Share #2 Posted August 25, 2013 Thank you for sharing! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAST Posted August 25, 2013 Author Share #3 Posted August 25, 2013 Photo of the crash scene Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAST Posted August 25, 2013 Author Share #4 Posted August 25, 2013 Official statement on Corder's death: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAST Posted August 25, 2013 Author Share #5 Posted August 25, 2013 News article on his death: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kriegsmodell Posted August 26, 2013 Share #6 Posted August 26, 2013 Great piece Erick! I remember this one very well. Thanks again to this hero who gave the final measure. Glad that it went to such a great caretaker and thanks for sharing ....... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jack's Son Posted August 26, 2013 Share #7 Posted August 26, 2013 Everyday, during the wars was a sad day for someone's family. Thank you for remembering this soldier and his family! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robersabel Posted August 26, 2013 Share #8 Posted August 26, 2013 Seems it was common for personnel wounded or lost their lives involved in accidents were awarded the Purple Heart during WWII. Today however, the U.S. Army does not approve requests for the Purple Heart to former POW’s who were wounded during captivity contrary to guidelines. Robert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfman Posted August 26, 2013 Share #9 Posted August 26, 2013 Geez that photo of the crash site really highlights the violence of the crash thanks for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Safetyman Posted June 30, 2014 Share #10 Posted June 30, 2014 Thanks for honoring a great man. Gran was my mothers brother. Would you be interested in selling this medal? I'm also interested in determining how the medal made it to the open market. Thanks in advance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAST Posted June 30, 2014 Author Share #11 Posted June 30, 2014 Thanks for honoring a great man. Gran was my mothers brother. Would you be interested in selling this medal? I'm also interested in determining how the medal made it to the open market. Thanks in advance. Safetyman, Thank you for the kind words. It is my pleasure to honor T/SGT Corder and the others who have sacrificed to protect our liberty. I will contact you separately via a personal message (PM). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAST Posted April 8, 2015 Author Share #12 Posted April 8, 2015 SSG Corder's gravestone was posted on findagrave and I thought I would add it here. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimeKeeper Posted September 5, 2022 Share #13 Posted September 5, 2022 Hi Beast and Safetyman, I'm also family of Gran. He was my great grandmother's brother. Beast, great job of collecting, conserving, and honoring these pieces of history. I have never seen that picture of the crash site before. Thank you for sharing that. If you have any additional info or memories to share, I'd love to see/hear/read them. I am collecting stories to add into my family tree also. Please DM me if either of you get this. I have obtained some things of Gran and his brother Walter who also served in WWII. I am also curious as to how these things left the family? There were a number of different models of bombers that used the same name but I would love to see the nose art that was on Gran's B-26. Her name was "Sleepy Time Gal" I believe it was "42-107583 n3-c". I also have a postcard from his brother Walt to my Grandmother asking if she had heard from Gran overseas. Sadly, it was postmarked Sept '44. Gran had already been killed. The postcard is written in pencil and is hard to read. If you have any advice in preservation for this item, I'd like to hear that too. Sorry for the lengthy post but thank you again for caring for these items. If you ever part with them, please keep me in mind as I will continue to care for them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimeKeeper Posted September 6, 2022 Share #14 Posted September 6, 2022 Sorry for "picture of a picture" quality. I will get these scanned in. I wanted to share a picture of Gran with his brother and their wives. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAST Posted September 6, 2022 Author Share #15 Posted September 6, 2022 Hi Timekeeper, thank you for posting the photo snd providing additional information. I will look through my files to see what other information I may have and respond to your DM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimeKeeper Posted September 6, 2022 Share #16 Posted September 6, 2022 Thank you! Anything you have is very appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BEAST Posted September 16, 2022 Author Share #17 Posted September 16, 2022 On 9/5/2022 at 3:11 PM, TimeKeeper said: Hi Beast and Safetyman, I'm also family of Gran. He was my great grandmother's brother. Beast, great job of collecting, conserving, and honoring these pieces of history. I have never seen that picture of the crash site before. Thank you for sharing that. If you have any additional info or memories to share, I'd love to see/hear/read them. I am collecting stories to add into my family tree also. Please DM me if either of you get this. I have obtained some things of Gran and his brother Walter who also served in WWII. I am also curious as to how these things left the family? There were a number of different models of bombers that used the same name but I would love to see the nose art that was on Gran's B-26. Her name was "Sleepy Time Gal" I believe it was "42-107583 n3-c". I also have a postcard from his brother Walt to my Grandmother asking if she had heard from Gran overseas. Sadly, it was postmarked Sept '44. Gran had already been killed. The postcard is written in pencil and is hard to read. If you have any advice in preservation for this item, I'd like to hear that too. Sorry for the lengthy post but thank you again for caring for these items. If you ever part with them, please keep me in mind as I will continue to care for them. Timekeeper, Looking through my records, the tail number for SSGT Corder's B-26 was 42-107855, not -107835. According to the crash report, they lost an engine shortly after takeoff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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