About
World War II (1939-1945)
Rowland Gipson Thornton Jr. was born in Richmond, Virginia, on January 30, 1920. By 1930, he was living with his family in the city of Schenectady. After graduating from Mont Pleasant High School in 1938, he attended Wilson College and the University of Michigan.
On December 31, 1941, Rowland enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps. He received his pilot's wings and commission in September 1942 at Columbus, Mississippi, and left for overseas in February 1943. He was a first lieutenant serving with the 450th Bomb Squadron, 332nd Bomb Group, 9th Air Force, and flew nearly fifty B-26 missions. On March 20, 1944, his aircraft failed to return from a bombing mission at Zudausques, France; it was struck by flak in its port engine and wing while flying over the target. The aircraft broke away from formation, entering a tight spin that ended with an explosion on impact; Rowland and three other crew members were killed. He is buried in the Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
Sources: The Schenectady Gazette, Find A Grave, Ancestry