Jan 9, 1945:

The Tragic End for an American Hero

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"Flying his own aircraft, with “Waddy’s Wagon” depicted on the nose, Waddy was part of the very first bomb run over Tokyo, launched from Saipan in Nov 1944.  By January 1945, he had logged more that 9,000 combat hours. But his time had run out.  On January 9, 1945, after his squadron completed at attack over Japan, he realized that one of his B-29 comrades  -- piloted by his close friend, Bennie Crowell – was under attack and losing altitude over the Sea of Japan. Young turned back to try and help Crowell. Neither aircraft was ever found; there was speculation that the two planes accidently collided and exploded. Young gave his life, doing in combat what he had done on the football field – taking care of his teammates."   --- from When Football Went To War

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