Fred Hargesheimer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Major Fred Hargesheimer
|
|
|---|---|
Fred Hargesheimer, 2008
|
|
| Born | May 7, 1916 Rochester, Minnesota |
| Died | December 23, 2010 (aged 94) Lincoln, Nebraska |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |
United States Army Air Corps |
| Years of service | 1941–1945 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | 8th Photo Reconnaissance Squadron |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Purple Heart Silver Star Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal |
Major Fred Hargesheimer (born May 7, 1916 – died December 23, 2010) was a brave pilot during World War II. In 1943, his plane was shot down over Papua New Guinea. He was hidden and saved by a local village. After the war, Fred became a kind person who helped build schools and libraries for the very village that saved his life.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Fred Hargesheimer grew up in Rochester, Minnesota. He studied Electrical Engineering at Iowa State College. After college, he worked with Edwin H. Armstrong. Armstrong was a famous inventor in early FM radio.
A Pilot in World War II
Hargesheimer joined the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II. He flew a Lockheed P-38F-4 plane. On June 5, 1943, he was on a photo mission over New Britain, Papua New Guinea. A Japanese Ki-45 Nick fighter plane attacked him.
Fred was hurt, and his plane's canopy was stuck. But he managed to parachute out safely. For a whole month, he fought to survive in the jungle. After 31 days, members of the Nakanai tribe found him.
Hidden by the Village
The Nakanai tribe kept Fred safe for five months. They hid him in their village, Ea Ea. They risked their own lives to protect him from Japanese soldiers. Later, he met some Australian Coastwatchers. They helped him move further inland.
On February 5, 1944, Fred and other downed airmen were rescued. A submarine called USS Gato picked them up. Fred received several important awards for his bravery. These included the Purple Heart and the Silver Star. After the war, he went back home to Rochester, Minnesota. There, he started his own family.
Helping the Village That Saved Him
Fred wanted to know how the tribe that saved him was doing. He wrote to a missionary to find out. In 1960, he returned to the island. He learned that the village needed a school.
Fred went home and raised $15,000 over three years. Most of the money came from small gifts. In 1963, he returned with his son, Richard. They arranged for the school to be built. This simple four-room school was named the Airmen's Memorial School [1].
Continued Support
Fred returned to the village many times over the next 40 years. He helped build a library and other important things for Ea Ea. The village is now known as Nantabu. From 1970 to 1974, Fred and his wife, Dorothee, lived there.
The local people called him Mastah Preddi, which meant Master Freddie. In 2000, they gave him the title "Suara Auru." This means "Chief Warrior" in their language. Fred made his last visit in 2006. During this trip, he saw where his old P-38 plane had crashed. He also attended the opening of a new library at the Noau school.
Meeting His Attacker's Family
In 1999, Fred learned about the Japanese pilot who shot him down. He had always wondered why the pilot did not finish him off. With help from Japanese historians, he contacted the pilot's wife.
The pilot, Mitsugu Hyakutomi, was from Yamaguchi, Japan. He was suffering from Alzheimer's disease. His wife said that her husband had always believed it was wrong to shoot defenseless parachuting fliers.
Death
Fred Hargesheimer passed away in Lincoln, Nebraska, on December 23, 2010.
