Damon Jesse Gause (June 17, 1915 – March 9, 1944) was an American military officer who served in the
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical r ...
. He was captured and escaped from
Bataan
Bataan (), officially the Province of Bataan ( fil, Lalawigan ng Bataan ), is a province in the Central Luzon region of the Philippines. Its capital is the city of Balanga while Mariveles is the largest town in the province. Occupying the entir ...
, then
Corregidor
Corregidor ( tl, Pulo ng Corregidor, ) is an island located at the entrance of Manila Bay in the southwestern part of Luzon in the Philippines, and is considered part of the Province of Cavite. Due to this location, Corregidor has historically b ...
. He served with the Ninth Air Force and flew with the
Hell Hawks.
Early life and education
Gause was born in
Fort Valley, Georgia
Fort Valley is a city in and the county seat of Peach County, Georgia, United States. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 8,780.
The city is in the Warner Robins metropolitan area and the Macon–Warner Robins combined statisti ...
in 1915, the son of Duff Adolph Gause (1893–1965) and Jescyne W. Gause (1895–1978). The couple had two additional sons, Wilson A. Gause (1923–2006) and John Winston Gause (1925–2005).
Gause graduated from the
Martin Institute High School. After high school, he attended the
University of Georgia
, mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things."
, establ ...
. After one year, Gause left school to join the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
.
Career
In the
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
, Gause was assigned to the
USCG Cutter ''Argo'' (WPC-100), where his main duty was
radioman
Radioman (RM) was a rating for United States Navy and United States Coast Guard enlisted personnel, specializing in communications technology.
History of the rating
The rating was created originally in 1921. In 1997, under the direction of Chi ...
. He joined the
Army Air Corps Army Air Corps may refer to the following army aviation corps:
* Army Air Corps (United Kingdom), the army aviation element of the British Army
* Philippine Army Air Corps (1935–1941)
* United States Army Air Corps (1926–1942), or its p ...
to serve in
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
after three years of service in the Coast Guard.
Following a three-year stint in the Army, he went to work in the
oil field
A petroleum reservoir or oil and gas reservoir is a subsurface accumulation of hydrocarbons contained in porous or fractured rock formations.
Such reservoirs form when kerogen (ancient plant matter) is created in surrounding rock by the presence ...
s in
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
for the
Texaco Oil Company. In 1939, Gause went back to Georgia. He again enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1941 and qualified for
flight training
Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills.
Flight training can be conducted under a str ...
at
Kelly Field
Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting.
In ...
in Texas. Gause completed the training and earned his wings as an
aircraft pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
and received a commission as
second lieutenant
Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank.
Australia
The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...
. He returned to Georgia, this time at
Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
to serve with the
27th Bombardment Group
7 (seven) is the natural number following 6 and preceding 8. It is the only prime number preceding a cube.
As an early prime number in the series of positive integers, the number seven has greatly symbolic associations in religion, mythology, s ...
. He trained on
A-24 Banshee
A- or a- may refer to:
;A-hyphen
* A- (plane), a U.S. military aircraft prefix
* Privative a, a prefix expressing negation
* Copulative a, a prefix expressing unification
;A-minus
* A−, a blood type in the ABO blood group system
* A− (grade)
...
dive-bombers.
Operation PLUM
*The Philippines. Gause, 2nd Lieutenant, 17th Squadron, 27th Bombardment Group, in the Philippines.
*The Great Escape of Major Gause.
Australia
*Safe Again in Australia.
England
On February 13, 1944, 1st Lieutenant Harold B. Johnston took off from
Gosfield
Gosfield is a village in the Braintree district of Essex, England. It is located around two miles west of the town of Halstead.
Places of note include the following:
*Gosfield Hall: a country house and Grade I listed building, dating back to 154 ...
, England in a
P-47 Thunderbolt
The Republic P-47 Thunderbolt is a World War II-era fighter aircraft produced by the American company Republic Aviation from 1941 through 1945. It was a successful high-altitude fighter and it also served as the foremost American fighter-bombe ...
for a test flight, and died when his plane crashed only nine days before the first combat mission of the
Hell Hawks and the P-47s. The Hell Hawks were part of the
Ninth Air Force
The Ninth Air Force (Air Forces Central) is a Numbered Air Force of the United States Air Force headquartered at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. It is the Air Force Service Component of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM), a joint De ...
. The combat mission occurred on February 22, 1944, with several groups taking part in an uneventful run to escort bombers. Colonel Lance Call led one group. Another group was led by Major Rockford V. Gray, with Gause as
wingman
A wingman (or wingmate) is a pilot or UAV who supports another pilot in a potentially dangerous flying environment. ''Wingman'' was originally the plane flying beside and slightly behind the lead plane in an aircraft formation.
According to th ...
. Other groups were led by Major
Donald E. Hillman and Major William D. Ritchie. In preparation to support the Allied invasion of Europe, the Hell Hawks moved with the
365th Fighter Group 365th may refer to:
*365th Bombardment Squadron, inactive United States Air Force unit
*365th Electronic Warfare Group previously 1st Search Attack Group, United States Army Air Forces unit that served during World War II. 365 EWG was a 'paper' des ...
to
RAF Beaulieu
Royal Air Force Beaulieu or more simply RAF Beaulieu is a former Royal Air Force station in the New Forest, Hampshire, England. It was also known as Beaulieu airfield, Beaulieu aerodrome and USAAF Station AAF 408. It is located next to the villa ...
, Hants, England on 5 March 1944. During a test flight on March 9, 1944, Gause was killed when his P-47 crashed near Beaulieu, England.
Personal life
On October 11, 1941, Gause married Lillian Ruth Evans Carter (1921–2014) and the couple had one son Damon Gause Jr. (1943–2006). Gause was buried in the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial at Coton, South Cambridgeshire District, Cambridgeshire, England.
Awards and decorations
*
Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries.
*Distinguished Service Cross (Australia)
*Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom)
*Distinguished Service Cross (U ...
*
Air Medal
The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Criteria
The Air Medal was establish ...
*
American Campaign Medal
The American Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces which was first created on November 6, 1942, by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was intended to recognize those military members who had perfo ...
*
Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal
Asiatic refers to something related to Asia.
Asiatic may also refer to:
* Asiatic style, a term in ancient stylistic criticism associated with Greek writers of Asia Minor
* In the context of Ancient Egypt, beyond the borders of Egypt and the cont ...
*
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
*
World War II Victory Medal
The World War II Victory Medal is a service medal of the United States military which was established by an Act of Congress on 6 July 1945 (Public Law 135, 79th Congress) and promulgated by Section V, War Department Bulletin 12, 1945.
The Wor ...
Accolades and honors
In Georgia,
U.S. Highway 129 South, also known as the Major Damon Gause Bypass is named in his honor.
[Editor. (18 December 1997). Major Damon J. Gause Bypass — Designated. A Resolution by the State Transportation Board of Georgia 1997. Georgia Department of Transportation. Georgia.]
Bibliography
*Gause, Damon Rocky (1999). ''The War Journal of Major Damon "Rocky" Gause''. D. L. Gause (Ed.). Hyperion Books.
*Osborne, William L. (18 July 2013). ''Voyage into the Wind''. CreateSpace.
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gause, Damon Jesse
1915 births
1944 deaths
People from Fort Valley, Georgia
People from Peach County, Georgia
Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in England
University of Georgia alumni
United States Coast Guard enlisted
Texaco people
People from Georgia (U.S. state)
People from Savannah, Georgia
United States Army Air Forces officers
United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II
American prisoners of war in World War II
Escapees from Japanese detention
United States Army Air Forces personnel killed in World War II
World War II prisoners of war held by Japan
American escapees