REMEMBERING
JOHN BLASDEL WESTMORELAND

By Joe C. Fling

Not every one who dies in war dies a heroic death in combat far away like Billy Cook and Bill Stapleton. Sixty years ago this month, the community of Eagle Lake found out that training for war time could be as deadly as combat itself. In all Colorado County lost seven young men during World Wart II to training mishaps, traveling to and from posts or other stateside accidents. In October, 1942 Lizzie Westmoreland wrote a poem, published in the Headlight upon the death of Billy Cook. One of the great ironies of Eagle Lake's contribution to World War II is that the next local boy to die, within three months, was Lizzie's own son.

John Blasdel Westmoreland was born July 20, 1920 in Eagle Lake. He was the son of R.Thomas Westmoreland and Lizzie Blasdel Westmoreland. He graduated from Eagle Lake High School in 1937. John was athletic and popular. He won the coveted award of Outstanding Male athlete at Eagle Lake High School in 1937. John went on to attend the University of Texas in Austin where he was a student when news came of the attack on Pearl Harbor that thrust America into the fray. John and many of his friends put aside their personal dreams and career plans to enlist. John, having college work behind him would become an officer in the Army Air Corps.

Westmoreland trained at Vernon, Texas and Enid, Oklahoma; and graduated from the Lubbock Flying school on October 9, 1942 receiving his flying "wings". He went from there to Tarrant Field where he completed a nine-week course at the combat crew school. The combat school reported trained officers, who had already earned their wings in two engine planes, to fly the four engine, Consolidated B-24. This was a complete instruction to be a first officer of such a craft; including ground schools, flight training in all weather conditions and navigator training. One of the recently deceased renowned historian Stephan Ambrose's final works The Wild Blue: the story of the men and boys who flew the B-24's is an excellent read for anyone interested in the second world war, and the workings and operation of heavy bomber operations in particular.

Westmoreland completed combat flight school in December, 1942 and was eventually transferred to Patterson Field, Fairfield, Ohio. Westmoreland was killed January 26, 1943 in a flight to test a new four engine bomber. Westmoreland sat in the co-pilots' chair on the flight. A Captain Harris Collier piloted the plan. The plane reportedly climbed to 35,000 feet, and was descending to land. No communication was heard from the plane after a report of 'all's well' at 11,000 feet on the descent. The craft apparently went into an uncontrollable dive which rendered the crew unable to recover. The aircraft crashed on the railroad tracks of the New York Central Railroad 10 miles from Springfield, Ohio near a school.

Only eleven days Westmoreland's death, the Weimar area suffered its first war death. Flight Officer Frank J. Krejci, Jr. of Borden died in Louisiana under almost identical circumstances. In Krejci's case the medium (that is, two engine) bomber, probably a B-25 or B-26 similar to the planes used by General James Doolittle's Toyko raiders, flipped over and crashed during night exercises, killing five men. The two men both died in training crashes of bombers within the United States, and were buried in their home towns only two weeks apart.

Westmoreland's funeral was a tremendous event. The Headlight reported that "the entire community turned out en masse to show their esteem for this world war volunteer." The young man was bright and personable with a unlimited future ahead of him. His family were stalwarts in the community. And since his death was the first of an Eagle Lake boy within the confines of the United States, his funeral was the first held in the community. The funeral was conducted from the Westmoreland home, with interment in the Masonic cemetery.

Included in the service were color bearers and rifle squad from camps Hulen and Wallace, and aircraft flying in formation from Foster Field, Victoria. Pallbearers were Cpl. Leonard Seaholm, G.A. Seaholm, A.P. Powers, F.A. Hoeninghaus, Joe D. Luna, Donald Obenhaus and Will Merriwether. Also a Lt. Truman Salyer traveled from Ohio to address the mourners. He told how Westmoreland had died in his place. Salyer had been scheduled to make the flight, but when the plane had arrived early for its test flight, Westmoreland volunteered to take his place.

The Headlight summed up the matter in saying, "Lt. Westmoreland's tragic death electrified the community. It revealed to all the somber sequel of this war. Each sacrifice brings the conflict miles and miles nearer to us. John Westmoreland's record of life was clean. He was an exemplary son of exceptional ability and he leaves a good name as a monument to his memory and a name that will be inscribed on the roll of his country's heroes. He loved that country and was proud of his uniform. His likeable and admirable personality caused his death to be marked by sorrow of the tenderest feelings."

If you visit John Westmoreland's grave in the Masonic cemetery, you will note an engraving of pilot's 'wings' and the inscription, "died in line of duty."