PILOT
Captain Frederick 'Fred' C. Eaton, Jr

Born July 15, 1917 in Scarsdale, New York. Eaton attended Dartmouth College and played on their squash team before joining the US Army Air Force.

Assigned to the 7th Bomb Group, 22nd Bomb Squadron. Known as 'Fred' or 'Freddy' to his squadron mates. At 25 he was piloting a B-17E on his first combat mission of February 23, 1942. After their escape from the swamp, Eaton returned to combat, flying a total of 54 missions and 435 combat hours in the South Pacific theater thur the rest of 1942.  He had other harrowing missions, like force landing an LB-30 at Milne Bay.

After this tour, he went on to fly in Europe, flying 4 mission and 21 combat hours from the United Kingdom and another 44 missions and 222 combat hours in Italy (15th AF, 301st BG), totaling 102 missions and 678 hours, all in B-17s.

After the war, he worked for Sears Roebuck & Company. In the late 1980's he retired to Martha's Vineyard with his wife Peggy, and spent winters in South Carolina. Eaton passed away March 31, 1994. Wartime photo via Richard Gillespie, current photo via Mrs. Eaton.