The Early Years
(12 Jul 1921 -
28 Jan 1942)
Army Air Forces
(28 Jan 1942 -
1 Aug 1943)
Post Ploesti
(2 Aug 1943 -
Present)
Official MOH Citations:
2nd Lt. Lloyd H. Hughes
(Lloyd "Pete" Herbert Hughes, Jr. - 12 Jul 1921 - 1 Aug 1943)
Source: From the personal papers of Pat and Tom Hoff
389th BOMBARDMENT GP (H) - 564th BOMBARDMENT SQ (H)
THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR
2nd LT LLOYD H. HUGHES
THE CITATION
I. MEDAL OF HONOR - BY DIRECTION OF THE PRESIDENT, UNDER
THE PROVISIONS OF THE ACT OF CONGRESS APPROVED 9 JUL 1918 (BULL.43,WD,1918), A
MEDAL OF HONOR WAS AWARDED POSTHUMOUSLY BY THE WAR DEPARTMENT IN THE NAME OF
CONGRESS TO THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICER . . .
SECOND LIEUTENANT LLOYD H. HUGHES, O-566262, AIR CORPS, UNITED STATES
ARMY. FOR CONSPICIOUS GALLANTRY IN ACTION AND INTREPIDITY AT THE RISK OF HIS
LIFE ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY. ON 1 AUGUST 1943 LIEUTENANT HUGHES
SERVED IN THE CAPACITY OF PILOT OF A HEAVY BOMBARDMENT AIRCRAFT, PARTICIPATING
IN A LONG AND HAZARDOUS MINIMUM ALTITUDE ATTACK AGAINST THE AXIS OIL REFINERIES
OF PLOESTI, ROUMANIA, LAUNCHED FROM THE NORTHERN SHORES OF AFRICA. FLYING IN THE
LAST FORMATION TO ATTACK THE TARGET, HE ARRIVED IN THE TARGET AREA AFTER
PREVIOUS FLIGHTS HAD THOROUGHLY ALERTED THE ENEMY DEFENSES. APPROACHING THE
TARGET THROUGH INTENSE AND ACCURATE ANTIAIRCRAFT FIRE AND DENSE BALLOON BARRAGES
AT DANGEROUSLY LOW ALTITUDE HIS AIRPLANE RECEIVED SEVERAL DIRECT HITS FROM BOTH
LARGE AND SMALL CALIBRE ANTIAIRCRAFT GUNS WHICH SERIOUSLY DAMAGED HIS AIRCRAFT,
CAUSING SHEETS OF ESCAPING GASOLINE TO STREAM FROM THE BOMB BAY AND FROM THE
LEFT WING. THIS DAMAGE WAS INFLICTED AT A TIME PRIOR TO REACHING THE TARGET WHEN
LIEUTENANT HUGHES COULD HAVE MADE A FORCED LANDING IN ANY OF THE GRAIN FIELDS
READILY AVAILABLE AT THAT TIME. THE TARGET AREA WAS BLAZING WITH BURNING OIL
TANKS AND DAMAGED REFINERY INSTALLATIONS FROM WHICH FLAMES REACHED HIGH ABOVE
THE BOMBING LEVEL OF THE FORMATION. WITH FULL KNOWLEDGE OF THE CONSEQUENCES OF
ENTERING THIS BLAZING INFERNO, WHEN HIS AIRPLANE WAS PROFUSLY LEAKING GASOLINE
IN TWO SEPARATE LOCATIONS LIEUTENANT HUGHES, MOTIVATED ONLY BY HIS HIGH
CONCEPTION OF DUTY WHICH CALLED FOR THE DESTRUCTION OF HIS ASSIGNED TARGET AT
ANY COST, DID NOT ELECT TO MAKE A FORCED LANDING OR TURN BACK FROM THE ATTACK.
INSTEAD, RATHER THAN JEOPARDIZE THE FORMATION AND THE SUCCESS OF THE ATTACK, HE
UNHESITATINGLY ENTERED THE BLAZING AREA AND DROPPED HIS BOMB LOAD WITH GREAT
PRECISION. AFTER SUCCESSFULLY BOMBING THE OBJECTIVE, HIS AIRCRAFT EMERGED FROM
THE CONFLAGRATION WITH THE LEFT WING AFLAME. ONLY THEN DID HE ATTEMPT A
FORCED LANDING, BUT BECAUSE OF THE ADVANCED STAGE OF THE FIRE ENVELOPING
HIS AIRCRAFT, THE AIRPLANE CRASHED AND WAS CONSUMED. BY LIEUTENANT HUGHES'
HEROIC DECISION TO COMPLETE HIS MISSION REGARDLESS OF THE CONSEQUENCES, IN
UTTER DISREGARD FOR HIS OWN LIFE, AND BY HIS GALLANT AND VALOROUS
EXECUTION OF THIS DECISION, HE RENDERED A SERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY IN THE
DEFEAT OF OUR ENEMIES, WHICH WILL BE EVERLASTINGLY OUTSTANDING IN THE ANNALS OF
OUR NATION'S HISTORY.
Corrections:
- Pete's service number was O-666292, not O-566292.
- The word "conspicuous" is misspelled.
- The word "profusely" is misspelled.
Notes:
- The word calibre" is the British spelling of "caliber." Or it may just be a typographical error.
- The artist's signature is "K WILBUR ENGLAND 1944" and is probably Kenneth Wilbur, Jr. born in 1924 in New York and enlisted in Pinellas County, Florida. He was an Administrative Specialist in 564th Intelligence.
- The 8th Air Force logo is just above the the citation text. The 389th Bombardment Group was attached to the 8th Air Force, then was loaned to the 9th Air Force.
- Best estimates puts the creation of this document between 26 Feb 1944 and 24 Mar 1944.
- The original document is about 7" by 9" (seven inches by nine inches.)
- My thanks to Pat and Tom Hoff for permission to use this image.
Last updated: August 21, 2008
