Ralph Cheli Ralph Cheli ( pronounced " Kelly " ; October 29 , 1919 — March 6 , 1944 ) was a major in the United States Army Air Forces and a recipient of the Medal of Honor . He served as the commanding officer of the 405th Bombardment Squadron ( Medium ) in the Fifth Air Force ' s 38th Bombardment Group , based at Durand Airfield , Port Moresby , New Guinea . On August 18 , 1943 , while leading his group of B - 25 Mitchell s on a low level attack of two Japanese airfields , his bomber was severely damaged . Cheli pressed the attack despite the battle damage , then crash - landed his bomber at sea . He was made a prisoner - of - war and on March 6 , 1944 , was executed by his captors . During the period when his status was unknown , Cheli was nominated for the Medal of Honor , which he was awarded in October 1943 . Biography . Born in San Francisco to Alfred and Julia Cheli , he attended Lehigh University as member of the class of 1941 . In February 1940 , during his junior year , he left Lehigh to enlist in the USAAF as an aviation cadet . He undertook primary flying training at Tulsa , Oklahoma ; basic flight training at Randolph Field , Texas ; and multi - engine advanced training at Kelly Field , Texas . After commissioning as a second lieutenant in November , Cheli was assigned as a B - 17 Flying Fortress co - pilot in the 21st Reconnaissance Squadron , operating from Miami , Florida , under the 3rd Bombardment Wing of General Headquarters Air Force . After attending the Chemical Warfare School at Edgewood Arsenal , Maryland , he rejoined the 21st RS at MacDill Field , Florida , where it had been attached to the 29th Bomb Group . When the United States entered World War II , Cheli was promoted to 1st lieutenant in February 1942 and flew anti - submarine patrols in the Caribbean Sea as a B - 17 pilot with the 43rd Bomb Squadron ( 29th BG ) . Cheli advanced to captain in June 1942 and was transferred to the 38th Bomb Group at Barksdale Field , Louisiana , where he was assigned as Operations Officer of the 405th Bomb Squadron " Green Dragons " . In August Cheli led a flight of B - 25s from Hamilton Field , California , to Australia in the first air movement of B - 25s to the Southwest Pacific war zone . Two months later , the 38th moved forward to Port Moresby , where Cheli was assigned command of the 405th BS after the death of its previous commander on January 5 , 1943 . He was promoted to major in March . On March 3 , 1943 , during the Battle of the Bismarck Sea , Cheli led the 405th Bomb Squadron in the first daylight " masthead " ( low level ) attack against a Japanese shipping convoy , one of the first skip bombing raids . In all he flew 39 combat missions and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal . Medal of Honor mission . In August 1943 , the Fifth Air Force was supporting the Allies ' strategic plan of advance toward the Philippines along the north coast of New Guinea . Its next stage , scheduled for early September , was the seizure of the Japanese base at Lae . The immediate goal of the Fifth Air Force was the neutralization of Japanese airpower concentrated at Wewak , some 300 miles west of Lae . Wewak and its satellite fields at But , Boram , and Dagua , based more than 100 bombers and about 90 fighters . The 500 + - mile flight to Wewak was the deepest penetration into Japanese - held territory yet made by medium bombers . On the night of August 16 , 50 heavy bombers attacked the fields , followed on the morning of the 17th by 32 B - 25s , escorted by 80 P - 38 Lightnings . Both attacks encountered intense antiaircraft fire but little fighter opposition . Another attack on the airfields was dispatched on the morning of August 18 to strafe and drop the fields from low altitude . The 3rd Attack Group was assigned to attack Wewak and Boram fields , while the 38th BG was sent further west to attack Dagua and But airdromes . Each bomber was loaded with 12 3 - bomb clusters of 23 - pound " para - frag " bombs , which the 405th BS would drop on Dagua and the 71st BS on But . Cheli was assigned to lead the 38th BG , 30 B - 25 Mitchells including stand - bys . Bad weather en route separated the force from its P - 38 cover escort , and mechanical problems reduced each squadron by one Mitchell , leaving his 405th and the following 71st Squadrons to attack with 28 B - 25s . His assigned aircraft that day was B - 25D - 1 ( s / n 41 - 30117 ) , a bomber field - modified into a strafer by enclosure of its plexiglass nose to mounting of four forward - firing machine guns , and a pair of fuselage side " blister packs " mounting guns that also fired forward . While maneuvering 150 feet above the ground to attack the heavily defended airfield , 10 - 15 Japanese Oscar fighters orbiting in the clouds attacked from above , making numerous passes at the force over a ten - minute span of time . Several concentrated their fire on Cheli ' s bomber , causing its right engine to burst into flames while still 2 miles from the target . The fire quickly spread to the nose and cockpit . His speed would have enabled him to gain necessary altitude to parachute to safety , but this action would have resulted in his formation becoming disorganized and exposed to the enemy . Although a crash was inevitable , he elected to continue leading the attack . From a minimum altitude , the squadron made a devastating bombing and strafing attack on the target . Maj . Cheli directed his wingman to lead the formation . His aircraft flew southeast to the vicinity of Boram airfield , where it crash - landed in the sea about 2 kilometers offshore . Initially he was believed killed in the crash , but post war evidence indicates that he survived the crash but was executed in March 1944 by the Japanese while a POW on Rabaul . For his actions , he posthumously received the Medal of Honor . What are believed to be Major Cheli ' s and other similarly executed POWs remains are now interred at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery in St . Louis , Missouri . Cheli was survived by his wife , Geraldine , and infant son , Ralph Jr . The Arnold Air Society chapter at his alma mater Lehigh University was named in his honor . Between 1947 and 1961 the United States Air Force operated the Cheli Air Force Station near Maywood , California . Medal of Honor citation . Rank and organization : Major , U . S . Army Air Corps . Place and date : Near Wewak , New Guinea , August 18 , 1943 . Entered service at : Brooklyn , N . Y . Birth : San Francisco , Calif . G . O . No . : 72 , October 28 , 1943 . Citation : For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty in action with the enemy . While Maj . Cheli was leading his squadron in a dive to attack the heavily defended Dagua Airdrome , intercepting enemy aircraft centered their fire on his plane , causing it to burst into flames while still 2 miles from the objective . His speed would have enabled him to gain necessary altitude to parachute to safety , but this action would have resulted in his formation becoming disorganized and exposed to the enemy . Although a crash was inevitable , he courageously elected to continue leading the attack in his blazing plane . From a minimum altitude , the squadron made a devastating bombing and strafing attack on the target . The mission completed , Maj . Cheli instructed his wingman to lead the formation and crashed into the sea .