Wendell Oliver Pruitt ★ World War II Gold Star Veteran from Missouri
On April 15, 1945 Captain Pruitt 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 Missouri. ★ 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 Wendell Oliver Pruitt 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 04:22:11.
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Missing : Supplemental Data
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Service Details
| This Profile ID | 323480 |
| Service ID | O-794600 |
| Name | Wendell Oliver Pruitt |
| From | St Louis, St Louis County, Missouri |
| Birth Date | June 20, 1920 |
| Casualty Date | April 15, 1945 |
| War | World War II |
| Service Branch | Army Air Forces |
| Rank | Captain |
| Specialty | Pilot |
| Unit/Group | 332nd Fighter Group |
| Casualty Type | Non hostile, accident, air crash |
| Location | Tuskegee, Alabama |
| Burial | Saint Peter's Cemetery, Normandy, Missouri |
| Notable Awards |
★ Distinguished Flying Cross
★ Air Medal |
Additional Details
Pruitt grew up in St Louis, Missouri, and attended Sumner High School. He then furthered his education at Lincoln University in Jefferson City, Missouri, becoming a member of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity.He was a member of the Tuskegee Airmen. Already a licensed pilot, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps Cadet Flying Program in Tuskegee, Alabama. Pruitt teamed with Lee Archer to form the famed "Gruesome Twosome", the most successful pair of Tuskegee pilots in terms of air victories. Pruitt was killed, along with a student pilot, during a training exercise. |
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.
★ Distinguished Flying Cross
★ 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
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.Missouri Gold Star Veterans Gallery
Honoring the men and women of Missouri 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.
▶ Missouri was home to over 9,856 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
• 2,886 World War I
• 4,593 World War II
• 962 Korean War
• 1,414 Vietnam War
• 286 Prisoners of war
• 2,566 Missing in action
• 105 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 77 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 10 Medal of Honor recipients
• 4,593 World War II
• 962 Korean War
• 1,414 Vietnam War
• 286 Prisoners of war
• 2,566 Missing in action
• 105 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 77 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 10 Medal of Honor recipients
Guardians of Honor Credits
▼ 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
▶ American Veterans Center 75th D-Day Congressional Reception
▶ USS Midway Museum 75th Pearl Harbor Wall of Honor
▶ Walgreens Supported National Memorial Day Parade
▶ San Diego Coin & Bullion
▼ 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
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
Here is Some Important Information!
National Memorial Day Parade with Spirit of 45
On May 27, 2019 the Honor States group was proud to be a part of our premier Memorial Day parade hosted by the District of Columbia and sponsored by the American Veteran Center. Together with Spirit of 45 and dozens of enthusiastic kids, the float and banner in tribute to the fallen at Normandy proved memorable and moving.
★ Featured National Supporter
Our Supporters are Essential Team Members! - learn more
Rick - Rest in Peace Soldier. Thank you for your loyalty and your sacrifice. You answered the call and laid down your life for others.
Derek - We must never forget what these men gave for us. This site is a great way to show tribute to our Heroes. Stay the course!
Travis - What an incredibly determined human being. These guys are what make up the backbone of our country. Thanks for your work.
Chuck - I thank greatly. I am alerting your site to all of the Veteran organizations I belong to. Need to get the word out there.
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