The daily monitor leader. [volume] (Mount Clemens, Mich.) 1942-19??, 1942-12-29
BY JAMES CULLINANE
NEA Service Staff Corresponden

NEA Service Staff Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Dec. % -
Members of the 10th Heavy
Bombardment Group have a
very special belief in two things
just now - Santa Claus and
Flying Fortresses.
For the Group is home for
Christmas after a long, hard
year in the shifting theater of
Pacific war. That they are back
in the United States during the
holiday season is reason enough
for a salute to Santa Claus. And
the fact that they're alive at all,
and wearing approximately 1000
decorations for stupendous and
heroic accomplishments, is due
in large measure to their gallant
and often-battered planes.
A thousand medals represent
quite a pile of ribbon and hard
ware, but the Group would hang
'em all on q Christmas tree for
Staff Sgt. Robert D.. Chopping
if that tough gunner only could
be here to see it. But "Choppy'
was killed on the last combat
mission flown by his outfit, just
before it returned to America.
VETERAN AT 81
Only 81, Sgt. Chopping was
one of the veterans who helped
make the 19th's fighting record
an Air Corps tradition. Last De-
cember he was reported missing
in action in the Philippines but
escaped from Mindanao and re-
joined his squadron in Java. On
January II he was manning q
turret gun when a swarm of Ze-
ros attacked his Fortress. The
gunner was knocked to the
floor with bullet through one
lung, but he struggled back,
shot down one Zero and forced
another to turn away.
After recovering from the
wound. Sgt. Chopping rejoined
his outfit. On August 2 he was
struck in the back by anti-air-
craft shrapnel. But let Mai. John
E. Dougherty, Group operations
officer, finish the story:
"Choppy had been out Of the
hospital only a few days when
we got word that we were going
home for Christmas. All the fell
lows were making their plans,
and Choppy was in high spirits.
He was going to his home in
Raggen, Colo.
But there was still some
fighting to be done before we
left; we were keeping after the
Japs who were trying to get sup
plies and troops to Buna. Chop
py still should have been on the
sick list, but he insisted on 60
ing along on that last flight.
"Well, we found a Jap con-
voy moving in on Buna and
made four bombing runs over it.
We blew up a big 10000 ton
transport, and just as we were
pulling away an anti aircraft
she'll exploded in the tail turret.
That's where Choppy was -
lying on the floor unconscious
and bleeding badly. We put q
tourniquet on his leg and got
back as fast as we could, but
he was dead when we landed.
Choppy was a real hero"
A few days later the War De-
partment announced that Sgt.
Chopping had been awarded the
Silver Star for gallantry on
January II.
STRENUOUS INITIATION
Mai. Dougherty himself, now
thrice decorated, had q strenu-
Gus initiation in action with the
Group. With two other planes,
he went on q bombing mission
In the Celebes, and after fight
ing off . flock Of Zeros he found
himself limping toward . friend
~ port with two motors out q
action and four Wounded maa
in his crew.
-Four and q half hours after
the battle. I knew we'd nevee
make il home" the officor ~
called. I'VE picked out . tiny
island north of Java and put
her down on what looked like .
sand beach. but IL turned out 70
be rough coral and tore the
plane to pieces.