Edward Laird ★ World War II Gold Star Veteran from Alabama
On June 28, 1944 Second Lieutenant Laird was declared a casualty of World War II. ★ He served with honor in the United States Army Air Forces. ★ He is remembered by the people of Alabama. ★ May his positive example inspire us. Working together towards peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.
▼ Content Integrity Note
Our displayed data concerning the life and military history of Edward Laird is a work in progress. We've assembled a list of elements we are in the process of researching and reviewing. This profile was last edited on 2023-06-12 02:30:41.
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Service Details
This Profile ID | 323448 |
Service ID | O-814831 |
Name | Edward Laird |
From | Brighton, Jefferson County, Alabama |
Birth Date | February 12, 1921 |
Casualty Date | June 28, 1944 |
War | World War II |
Service Branch | Army Air Forces |
Rank | Second Lieutenant |
Specialty | Pilot |
Unit/Group | 332nd Fighter Group, 100th Fighter Squadron |
Casualty Type | Non Hostile, Air Crash |
Location | Italy |
Burial | Greenwood Cemetery, Tuskegee, Alabama |
Notable Awards |
★ Air Medal |
Additional Details
Edward Laird was one of the seven children of Dave Laird and Cora Thomas. He enlisted in the US Army Air Force on November 3, 1943. He was sent to the Tuskegee Institute and was commissioned as an officer and pilot. Edward was voted "most talented undergraduate on campus" and won a trip to New York City. On June 29, 1943 he married Annie Estelle Motley. He was soon assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron based in Ramitelli, Italy.
On June 28, 1944 he was killed during takeoff on a bomber escort mission when his P-47D Thunderbolt #42-28613 went off the runway and crashed. |
Commendations + Awards
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Please note this might not be a complete or completely accurate accounting. For some awards we use probability factors based on known service details. Thanks for your understanding.
★ Air Medal
★ United States Aviator Badge Army
★ World War II Victory Medal
★ American Campaign Medal
★ Army Presidential Unit Citation
★ Army Good Conduct Medal
★ European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign
Notable Reference Sources
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Alabama Gold Star Veterans Gallery
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Honoring the men and women of
Alabama who gave their all for their country.
May their example of courage and sacrifice be our guide. To be strong and responsible in our lives as citizens of the world.
Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
▶ Alabama was home to over 9,311
American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
Guardians of Honor Credits
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▶ Rolling Thunder National Riders
▶ National Memorial Day Parade with Spirit of 45
▶ American Veterans Center 75th D-Day Congressional Reception
▶ USS Midway Museum 75th Pearl Harbor Wall of Honor
▼ Research Contributors - Groups and individuals who have been directly responsible for curating content. Some are experienced historians and archivists, others are enthusiastic members of the public who have suggested content additions or corrections.
Honor States Admin
Roy "Joker"
Sarah Jo "Lady Chaos"
▼ Primary Sources - These are repositories for artifacts, documents, diaries, manuscripts, and other information that serve as original and authoritative sources of information.
National Archives (NARA)
Library of Congress (LOC)
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
Findagrave.com
Ancestry.com
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Honoring our fallen.
Together. Uniting us in meaningful common cause. When we work together to honor our
Gold Star veterans, we heal our nation together.
It's a team effort. Everyone's invited to join as a
Citizen Historian and
Guardian of Honor. -
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