WM Neal Gorman
Army Air Corps
WWII 1941-1945
William “Neal” Gorman was born July 26, 1917; the son of John & Bess Gorman of Hills, Iowa. He married Delores Devitt December 8, 1944. He was known as Neal to his family & friends.
Neal enlisted in the Army Air Corps August 31st, 1941 and discharged Honorably December 1945. He completed Radio operator’s school in April of 1942. He served as a radio operator on Douglas C-47 transport aircraft in the China-Burma-India Theater, also known as flying the HUMP. The missions were to deliver supplies to American troops fighting in China. The air routes were from bases in Burma over the Himalayan Mountains to bases in China. He flew 90 missions amassing just over 557 hours in combat. On two missions his aircraft were shot down. He was listed as missing in action on one of these missions. He found his way back to base by following railroad tracks only to find that his clothes and equipment had been picked through by his unit. It took him several days to find and gather his belongings.
Neal was awarded the following medals: Distinguished Flying Cross, Air medal with clusters, Unit Presidential Citation, Asiatic Theater Ribbon with 3 Battle Stars, China War Memorial Medal, The order for this medal got lost at the end of the war, Neal received the medal 30 years after his service.
After his service Neal worked for the Defense Mapping Agency Aerospace Center in St. Louis, MO retiring in 1974. William died May 9, 1979.
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