Myron's military service
Endnotes
Hanford Sentinel
1945 Jul 02
https://www.newspapers.com/image/559165930/Hanford Morning Journal
1945 Jul 03
https://www.newspapers.com/image/562799751/Lt. Myron Levi Home on Leave
First Lt. Myron Levi, son of Mr. and Mrs. Morris Levi, is home on a 30 day leave after several months in England with the 8th Air Force. He came by train, after flying across the Atlantic.
Myron made 29 missions over Germany and was awarded the distinguished flying cross with one oakleaf cluster, the air medal and three clusters.
He said he will go from here to Sioux Falls, S. D., where he will be again assigned to duty with the 8th Air Force.
Hanford Morning Journal
1945 Jun 24
https://www.newspapers.com/image/562782629/Myron Levi Is In Connecticut
"Arrived in Connecticut today. Will be home in a week."
That is the cheering news received today by Morris Levi, proprietor of the Hanford Furniture Company, from his son, Lt. Myron Levi, of the Army Air Force.
He is reported to be stationed at Bradley Field, Ct.
Myron has been overseas for several months and participated in a number of bombing missions.
Hanford Morning Journal
1944 Nov 07
https://www.newspapers.com/image/562780539/Third Oak Cluster For lt. Myron Levi
An Eighth Air Force Bomber Station, England — Second Lieutenant Myron B. Levi, 23, son fo Mr. and Mrs. Morris Levi, 1602 Whitmore street, Hanford, navigator of the B-17 Flying Fortress, "The Uninvited," has won the third Oak Leaf Cluster to his air medal for "meritorious achievement . . . coolness, courage and skill" during Eighth Air Force bombing attacks on targets in Germany and Nazi Occupied Europe.
Lt. Levi is a member of the Third Bombardment Division, cited by the president for its now historic England-Africa shuttle bombing of Nazi Messerschmitt aircraft plants at Regensburg, Germany, in August of 1943.
Hanford Morning Journal
1944 Sep 16
https://www.newspapers.com/image/562799764/New Job For Myron Levi
A letter received by Mr. and Mrs. Morris Levi from their son, Lt. Myron Levi, U.S.A.F. informs them that he has been shifted to a new crew and is the only navigator on the lead ship in his new outfit. He had been with a Liberator crew, but is now with a Fortress outfit that had only six more missions to fly.
While Lt. Levi expects to remain in Europe after he finishes his quota of missions, he believes he will be able to complete his quota with the new outfit to which he is attached.
The letter speaks of receiving very acceptable packages from home, and contains quite a lot of interesting personal messages to his parents.
"Give my best regards to everyone and everything, especially Reed," he adds, in closing.
Hanford Sentinel
1944 Jul 25
https://www.newspapers.com/image/559315949/Hanford Morning Journal
1944 Jul 26
https://www.newspapers.com/image/562799391/Myron Levi Promoted To First Lieutenant
From "Somewhere in England" Mr. and Mrs. Morris Levi have received a letter from their son, Lt. Myron Levi of the 18th Bombing Squadron, in which he states that he received promotion to first lieutenancy on July 14.
This squadron makes an average of 1½ missions per week. Lt. Levi said he still has eighteen missions to make before being "completed."
"The weather was quite nasty until yesterday, but these last two days have been beautiful and if it will only keep up for a little while we can get some good licks in," he writes.
He also mentioned having a letter from Jack Craghill and that he intended to "run over and see him soon." His is a lead squadron and the crew gets a two-day pass every two weeks.
Hanford Morning Journal
1944 Jul 07
https://www.newspapers.com/image/562799264/Lt. Myron Levi Making Many Raid Missions
Two interesting letters have been received by Mr. and Mrs. M. Levi, from their son, Lt. Myron Levi, who is lead navigator of his squadron, in England. He had made eight missions up to June 21 and was "still going strong," he said. The first six missions entitle a squad member to the initial award, which is the "Air Medal" and each six additional missions entitle the man to an oak leaf cluster, hence he shortly will have the first "cluster" if he has not already received it.
Also his whole group has been awarded some sort of a special decoration, but at the time he wrote he was not sure what it was for.
In one of the letters he mentioned seeing Joaquin Fernandes, who was a local classmate of his. Fernandes is with the same group, but in another squadron as a radio mechanic.
Lt. Levi said he was to have another two-day pass "tomorrow" and that since he had already been to London, he would go to some other place "this time."
The weather was "not good" where he was at the time he wrote and he wished he might have "some of that good old Hanford sunshine."
Hanford Morning Journal
1943 Dec 30
https://www.newspapers.com/image/562853227/Myron Levi Is Welcomed Here By Hanfordites
Friends, business associates and old schoolmates are sharing with Mr. and Mrs. Morris F. Levi, the pleasant experience of a visit here of their son, Lieutenant Myron Levi, aerial gunner in Uncle Sam's air corps.
Lieut. Levi completed his course recently at Hondo Field, Texas, and received his silver wings. Now after about two weeks at home he will leave on January 6 to report to the Blythe Bombing Field in the Imperial Valley, where his special work will be to fit him for the rating of navigator.
Lieut. Levi, before entering the military service, was manager of the Hanford Furniture Company. He was one of Hanford's live young businessmen active along lines of civic enterprise. He was one of those who led the movement to engage the personal appearance here of popular "name bands", for the entertainment of the public.
Hanford Morning Journal
1942 Oct 24
https://www.newspapers.com/image/562686937/Aviation Cadet Myron Levi probably will want to scalp us next time he's home for publishing any of this, but it's too good not to publish. Besides, he'll be too busy creating old friends, and crowing about his UCLA football team.
Myron is stationed at Maxwell Field, Alabama, and life there is probably similar to that at Lemoore air base, with two exceptions: 1. Southern drawls don't dominate Lemoore. 2. Maxwell Field is the only field that permits a mild bit of hazing.
If you think a cadet's life is any bed of roses, just look at these academic thorns:
Mathematics, aircraft identification, military courtesy, code, signal communications, air force, ground forces, maps and charts, military information, physics, war department publications, naval forces and chemical warfare defense.
"Also," reports Myron, "we have range firing of the .— rifle, .— rifle, Thompson machine gun, and .— pistol, and take one day of the gas chamber with our masks, learning to identify the different gases by smell and by physical reaction."
The life these cadets lead is almost as active as that of a young Hanfordite we know, initials S. S. B. ("S. S." does not stand for either "steam ship" or "storm trooper").
To get back to Aviation Cadet Levi, our more immediate problem of the minute:
"Our calisthenics and athletics vary every day. One day we might work with dumbbells, next day wands, perhaps straight calisthenics. We have two different runs: one is called the "Burma Road," which is a straight run of about five to seven miles, run in formation. The other is the "Indian Trail," a run through wooded territory, with lots of steep banks both up and down; it's about three miles long."
It's a great life, concludes Myron. The training is interesting, intensive and exciting, if you haven't already guessed that for yourself.