Walter Drake Westmoreland★ World War II Gold Star Veteran from Georgia
On October 12, 1944 First Lieutenant Westmoreland 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 Georgia. ★ May his positive example inspire us. Working together towards peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.
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Our displayed data concerning the life and military history of Walter Drake Westmoreland 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 06:53:01.
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Service Details
| This Profile ID | 323471 |
| Service ID | O-809257 |
| Name | Walter Drake Westmoreland |
| From | Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia |
| Birth Date | June 15, 1920 |
| Casualty Date | October 12, 1944 |
| War | World War II |
| Service Branch | Army Air Forces |
| Rank | First Lieutenant |
| Specialty | Pilot |
| Unit/Group | 332nd Fighter Group, 302nd Fighter Control Squadron |
| Casualty Type | Hostile, Died while Missing, Air crash |
| Location | Hungary |
| Burial | South View Cemetery, Atlanta, Georgia |
| Notable Awards |
★ Air Medal
★ Purple Heart |
Additional Details
Walter Drake Westmoreland was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. He was also the nephew of Walter White, Secretary of the NAACP. He was a graduate of class 43-G, earning his pilot wings at Tuskegee in 1943.He flew a P-51C fighter, nicknamed "Dopey". His plane went down near Lake Balaton, Hungary in 1944 while returning from an escort mission to Blechammer,Germany. First designated as MIA, Westmoreland's remains were not returned from Europe until December of 1948. He and his father who became gravely ill upon news of his son's death were laid to rest beside each other at that time. |
Commendations + Awards
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
★ Purple Heart
★ 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
These are typically links to pages on external sites that have provided specific nodes of information. In most cases the information has some assurance of being crowd-sourced and vetted by a community of users.Georgia Gold Star Veterans Gallery
Honoring the men and women of Georgia 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.
Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
▶ Georgia was home to over 10,422 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
• 1,541 World War I
• 6,513 World War II
• 783 Korean War
• 1,585 Vietnam War
• 173 Prisoners of war
• 1,611 Missing in action
• 19 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 84 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 10 Medal of Honor recipients
• 6,513 World War II
• 783 Korean War
• 1,585 Vietnam War
• 173 Prisoners of war
• 1,611 Missing in action
• 19 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 84 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 10 Medal of Honor recipients
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▼ Organizational Supporters - HonorStates.org and the National Unified Archive of American Gold Star Veterans is stringently curated. This attention to quality extends to our supporters program. We carefully research and screen prospective organizations we perceive as being suitably aligned with our mission
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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
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. - learn more
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U-Haul has been a proud supporter of the Keep the Spirit of 45 Alive organization since its beginnings in 2009. In 2019, the Honor States organization was honored to be a featured content provider in the group parade tribute to the fallen at D-Day.
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Laura - I'm proud of their military service and the ultimate contribution for my freedom. It does help me get through tough times.
Rick - Rest in Peace Soldier. Thank you for your loyalty and your sacrifice. You answered the call and laid down your life for others.
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Travis - What an incredibly determined human being. These guys are what make up the backbone of our country. Thanks for your work.
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