The Early Years
(12 Jul 1921 -
27 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: Personal papers. Newspaper article from Section C of the San Antonio Express, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, USA, dated Sunday Morning, 5 Mar 1944.
Honor Medal Awarded San Antonian
2nd. Lt. Lloyd H. Hughes of San Antonio and Corpus Christi, has been awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for piloting his gasoline-leaking B-24 bomber low over the flaming target of the Ploesti oil refineries in Rumania to bomb the target and fulfill his mission, the war department announced Saturday (4 Mar 1944.)
Hughes, who lost his life on the raid, was the third San Antonian to receive his country's highest honor, the other two being Col. Neel Kearby and Lt. Col. Charles W. Davis.
Mrs. Hazel D. Hughes, the hero's widow, lives at 158 Halliday St.
The war department stated that Hughes' plane was hit on the way to Ploesti and was leaking gasoline badly. He could have made a crash landing but instead went on in to the flaming target to carry out his mission.
Flying low through the flames of the refinery, the plane caught fire and Hughes crashed.
Notes: There has been some confusion over when the war department awarded Pete his Medal of Honor versus when the Medal of Honor was presented to Pete's widow. I hope this article clears up the confusion.
First published: July 16, 2008
Last updated: May 30, 2011
