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The Heroic Story Of Lieutenant Colonel Jay Zeamer, Jr. of Carlisle, Honoring Him For His Extraordinary Actions During WWII.

The Heroic Story Of Lieutenant Colonel Jay Zeamer, Jr. of Carlisle, Honoring Him For His Extraordinary Actions During WWII.
 

U.S. Army Air Forces Lieutenant Colonel Jay Zeamer, Jr. of Carlisle, Pennsylvania, was awarded the Medal of Honor for his extraordinary actions on June 16, 1943, over Buka area, Solomon Islands.

In October 1939, Zeamer applied for the Army Air Corps flight training program and was accepted in December. His entrance to the program was deferred until after graduating from M.I.T. in June 1940 with a B.S. in Civil Engineering, specializing in Structural Engineering.

 Zeamer began elementary flight school training as a flying cadet in the Chicago School of Aeronautics, Glenview, Illinois, where his leadership skills earned him the position of Captain of Cadets of Class 41-B. In March 1941, he received his wings and a commission in the U.S. Army Air Corps after graduating from basic and advanced flight school at Maxwell Field, Alabama. 

On June 16, 1943, Zeamer led a crew on B-17E on an unescorted mission to Buka to photograph Japanese installations and map the west coast of Bougainville as far south as Empress Augusta Bay in preparation for the Allied landings scheduled for early November 1943.

 Shortly before its completion, the B-17 was intercepted by five Japanese fighters attacking from the front. Despite his wounds from previously fired shells, Zeamer skillfully flew the plane to avoid any further damage. 

Eventually, the Japanese planes broke off due to damage and lack of ammunition or fuel. Zeamer was able to make an emergency landing at an Allied fighter airstrip at Dobodura, New Guinea

He was awarded the Medal of Honor for his actions on this day. Joseph Sarnoski was also awarded the Medal of Honor, the only instance of WWII when two members of one crew were honored for separate acts of heroism in the same combat engagements.

 Zeamer was promoted to major in 1943 and then lieutenant colonel in 1944 before retiring on disability in 1945. He died in 2007 and is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.
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