Oscar Randolph Fladmark Jr. (June 23, 1922 – July 27, 1955) was an American fighter pilot who flew 164 "no-injury" combat missions in World War II and the Korean War. Fladmark received the Distinguished Flying Cross during his military career. Just a few years after the Korean War, Major Fladmark, at 33 years of age, was in an automobile accident near Yuma, Arizona, on July 27, 1955, and died while being flown to the San Diego Naval Hospital.

Early life and education

Fladmark was born in Moe Township, Lincoln County, South Dakota,"SDPB" - on June 23, 1922. His father, Oscar C. Fladmark Sr. (1888–1965), came from Ålesund, Norway, located on the western coastal fjord region of the country, and had moved to South Dakota in 1907.Oscar Fladmark in the World War I draft registration on June 5, 1917. His mother, Pethryn Hanson (1896–1998), was also of Scandinavian descent and came from Hudson, South Dakota. He had one younger sibling, Lorentz W. Fladmark (1926–1993).Fladmark family in the 1940 United States census living in Canton City, South Dakota

Fladmark attended school in Canton, South Dakota. He was active in sports and became captain of his high school football team. Later, the family relocated to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. He attended Augustana College starting in fall 1940 but his education was interrupted by World War II when he was inducted into the Army Air Corps as an Aviator in June 1942.

Military career

World War II During World War II, Fladmark"Oscar Fladmark, Jr." – Associated Press, Argus Leader, Sioux Falls Newspaper, April 12, 1943. was selected as an aviation cadet and to undergo training with the United States Army Air Corps. He trained at various military bases in California, Arizona, Texas, Florida and Virginia. He was inducted in June 1942 and was commissioned a second lieutenant and received his wings in the United States Army Air Corps in April 1943. He was transferred to the European Theater of Operations (ETO) in England on August 20, 1943, for active duty with the 8th Air Force. Fladmark flew combat missions with the 359th Fighter Group,Eighth Air Force Operations History - "Little Friends" - 8th Air Force, 359th Fighter Group - "Little Friends" - 359th Fighter Group Gallery - commanded by Colonel Avelin P. Tacon Jr. and based at the RAF station in East Wretham, England. Initially, the group flew the P-47 Thunderbolt fighter, which was later replaced by the P-51 Mustang fighter. Fladmark flew combat mission strikes over Munich, Saarbrücken, Regensburg, Schweinfurt, Ebelsbach, Neuaubing, Hanover, Normandy, Méry-la-Bataille, Oise River, Sens. St. Ouen and Genevilliers near Paris."Lt. Fladmark Hits Targets in France" – Associated Press, Argus Leader, Sioux Falls Newspaper, August, 1944."Munich Area Pounded Again", "Heavies Score One-Two Punch", "Heavies Pound 5 Reich Cities", "Reich Battered In Double Blow By Air Again" – The Guardian, United Kingdom Newspaper, 1944. On November 2, 1944, the Associated Press wired a report on the Battle of Merseburg"S.F. Flier Gains Air Battle Honors" – Associated Press, Argus Leader, Sioux Falls Newspaper, November 3, 1944. near Leipzig, Germany. Fladmark was flying with an armada of 1100 bombers and 900 fighters when they encountered over 400 Luftwaffe fighters on the way to a combat mission near Berlin, Germany. During the Battle of Merseburg, over half of the Luftwaffe fighters were destroyed by the 8th Air Force, setting a new record."S.F. Flier Gains Air Battle Honors" – Associated Press, Argus Leader, Sioux Falls Newspaper, November 3, 1944.

Fladmark"Home Still Beats Anything" – Sioux Valley News, Canton Newspaper, March 15, 1945. completed a total of 64 combat missions over Nazi Germany and received the Air Medal with ten oak leaf clusters. After his tour of duty, he was transferred to the United States on January 24, 1945. He was stationed in Santa Ana, California until war's end. Fladmark was discharged from the U.S. Army Air Corps in 1945 and returned to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Fladmark continued his education at Augustana College and also flew with Professor Robert Branson's aerobatic team of Flandreau, South Dakota.

Post-World War II

The War Department authorized the establishment of Air National Guard units in all 48 states, with three units comprising a wing based in Sioux Falls, Sioux City and Des Moines, Iowa. The Air National Guard 132nd Wing"Air Squadron Here Linked With Iowa's" – Argus Leader, Sioux Falls Newspaper, Front Page, June 26, 1946. was organized by Colonel Frederick C. Gray Jr.Colonel Frederick C. Gray, Jr. - Military Biographies, United States Air Force."American D-Day" - Colonel Frederick C. Gray, Jr., "Mr. Ted III" P51 Mustang, 78th Fighter Group, 8th Air Force - Frederick Colbert Gray - who was a veteran of the RAF and 8th Air Force during World War II. Colonel Gray, based in Des Moines, Iowa, acted as wing senior instructor for the three Air National Guard units which comprised the wing. Col. Gray's appointment was made by Brigadier General Charles H. Grahl, Iowa Adjutant General, on June 26, 1946. Col. Frederick C. Gray Jr. later attended the Air War College, Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama. In 1946, Fladmark was appointed to the rank of Captain and the duty of a Flight Commander with the Air National Guard 175th Fighter SquadronThe Adjutant General's Office – Special Order Number 47, National Guard Regulation 20, 20 September 1946. based in Sioux Falls. Fladmark's appointment was approved by Colonel E.A. Beckwith, South Dakota Adjutant General in Rapid City, South Dakota on September 20, 1946. He completed his Bachelor of Arts degree at Augustana College in Sioux Falls in 1948. He also worked for the local newspaper the Argus Leader.

Korean War

Fladmark was recalled into the Air Force on November 14, 1950, for training in jet fighters and a tour in the Korean War. In February 1951, Fladmark"Back In The Saddle" – U.S. Air Force Photo, G-493-10, Headquarters Far East Air Forces, 22 February 1951. - reunited with a flying friend when he was assigned to the 35th Fighter-Interceptor Wing, which was reactivated by Colonel Frederick Gray. – Associated Press, Argus Leader, Sioux Falls Newspaper, March 11, 1951. - The 35th Fighter-Interceptor Wing was a component of the 5th Air Force, Far East Forces. During the Korean War, he flew 100 combat missions over North Korea."Capt. Fladmark is Reassigned after 100 Air Missions" – United States Department of Defense, Argus Leader, Sioux Falls Newspaper, July, 1951. A report from Headquarters of the 13th Air Force at Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, reads:

The Distinguished Flying Cross

Post-Korean War

Fladmark, upon his return from the Korean War, was appointed Assistant Professor of Air Science and Tactics for the Reserve Officers Training Corps program at St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota. The Air Force training programs were previous to the establishment of the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. The Air Force subsequently reassigned him to active duty status, and he was stationed with the 85th Fighter Interceptor Group, at Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, Illinois in September, 1951.

Later, in April 1954, he was transferred to the 326th Fighter Intercepter Group at the Headquarters of Central Air Defense Force at Grandview Air Force Base, in Grandview, Missouri with Major General Jarred V. CrabbMajor General Jarred V. Crabb - Military Biographies, United States Air Force.Major General Jarred V. Crabb, CADF Commanding Officer, "Central Air Defense Force" - as Commanding Officer. The Central Air Defense Force was One of Three Air Defense Force; Eastern, Central & Western which were responsible for the Defense of Continental North America. In 1954, Fladmark was given an award for breaking the Sound barrier in a North American F-86 Sabre fighter jet. The award was the "Mach Busters Club" Citation for exceeding the Speed of Sound from North American Aviation Chairman of the Board James Howard Kindelberger and President John Leland Atwood.Mach Buster's Club, (Citation) North American Aviation, Inc., 1954.

Personal life

Fladmark married Phyllis Peterson (1922–2003) on November 13, 1950, at First Lutheran Church in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. They had a son and a daughter. She grew up on a farm in rural South Dakota. Her family was of Danish and Norwegian national heritage.

Death

On July 27, 1955, Fladmark, two other Air Force officers and a General Electric gas turbine engineer who was driving a 1955 Ford Fairlane hardtop convertible were killed when the car overturned on an access road to Yuma County Airport near Yuma, Arizona. – Associated Press, Argus Leader, Sioux Falls Newspaper, Front Page, July 27, 1955. Retrieved 2017-12-09 - via Newspapers.com"Car Kills Three Airmen" – The Kansas City Star, Kansas City Newspaper, Front Page, July 27, 1955. He was survived by his wife Phyllis, son Gary, daughter Vicki, father Oscar C. Fladmark Sr., mother Pethryn Fladmark and brother Captain Lorentz W. Fladmark. His widow sued General Electric, but lost the case in 1956. The lawsuit which went to trial was initially investigated by JAG under the direction of Major General Jarred V. Crabb, Commanding Officer. Subsequent to the investigation a Wrongful Death action was filed through a law firm with offices in the Federal Reserve Building, Kansas City, Missouri.925 Grand, (former headquarters of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City) - 925 GrandFederal Reserve Bank of Kansas City - Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas CityHarry Truman Library

Decorations Fladmark's Military Decorations and Awards:

Senior Pilot USAF WingsDistinguished Flying Cross"Round Robin: Fladmark Receives DFC For Work In Korea" – United States Department of Defense, Argus Leader, Sioux Falls Newspaper, September, 1951.Air Medal with ten oak leaf clusters Presidential Unit CitationUnited Nations Korea MedalUnited Nations (UN) Korean Service MedalAmerican Defense Service MedalAmerican Campaign Medal with three Service starsEuropean-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal – World War IIWorld War II Victory Medal

Other Honors and Recognitions: Charter Member of the South Dakota Air National Guard in 1946, "Mach Busters Club" Citation for exceeding the Speed of Sound in 1954 by North American Aviation Chairman of the Board James Howard Kindelberger and President John Leland Atwood

Memorials

A memorial bronze plaque was dedicated to Fladmark at the Gilbert Science Center on the campus of Augustana College, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, by his father in 1965. Oscar C. Fladmark Sr. often dedicated his KSOO radio broadcasts to his son. Fladmark's biography is listed on the "Wall of Honor" at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center facility near the Washington Dulles International Airport, Fairfax, Virginia. - Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy Center.

References

External links

Major Oscar Fladmark at the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Major Oscar Fladmark at the American Air Museum in Britain