2nd Lt. Lloyd Herbert "Pete" Hughes, Jr.
(12 Jul 1921 - 1 Aug 1943)

© David N. Lotz

My thanks to David for permission to use his photograph.

On 12 Apr 1950, Pete was reburied in Section U, Site 53 in Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Bexar County, Texas, USA. (source: newspaper article.)  As Pete's first known grave marker, it read:

LLOYD H
HUGHES
MEDAL OF HONOR
2D LT
ARMY AIR FORCES
WORLD WAR II
JUL 12 1921
AUG 1 1943

There is one  reference that says that the family erected the grave marker. It is more likely that the U.S. Army Air Forces or the National Cemetery erected it.

© Philip Wright

My thanks to Philip for permission to use his photograph.

Sometime in 2005, Philip Wright (the son of Robert Lee Wright who was Pete’s wingman and roommate), saw Pete's grave marker and decided that it was in disrepair. Apparently it was so bad that Philip took it upon himself to get the cemetery to replace it. A photograph of the new grave marker is at the left. It read:

LLOYD H
HUGHES
MEDAL OF HONOR
2D LT
ARMY AIR FORCE
WORLD WAR II
JUL 12 1921
AUG 1 1943

When I first transcribed the writing, I realized that the replacement grave marker did not match the original. The original has "ARMY AIR FORCES" and the new has "ARMY AIR FORCE" minus the "S." I sent an email to Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery questioning this difference. On 4 Dec 2007, they replied:

"The Army Air Corp became the US Army Air Forces on June 20, 1941. Since Lloyd H. Hughes entered the service in 1942 - the correct branch of service for his headstone is US Army Air Forces. There is an “s” missing from Forces on the replacement headstone that was ordered in 2005. The staff at Ft. Sam National Cemetery will reorder the headstone to correct the mistake."

LLOYD H
HUGHES
MEDAL OF HONOR
2D LT
ARMY AIR FORCES
WORLD WAR II
JUL 12 1921
AUG 1 1943