Jay Zeamer Jr. (July 25, 1918 – March 22, 2007) was a pilot of the
United States Army Air Forces in the
South Pacific
The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the continen ...
during
World War II, who received the
Medal of Honor for valor during a
B-17 Flying Fortress
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
mission on June 16, 1943. After the war, he became an
aeronautical engineer and worked in the
aerospace industry.
Early life
Born in
Carlisle, Pennsylvania
Carlisle is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough in and the county seat of Cumberland County, Pennsylvania, United States. Carlisle is located within the Cumberland Valley, a highly productive agricultural region. As of the 2020 United States census, ...
, Zeamer grew up in
Orange, New Jersey, the son of a women's club leader and sales representative for (later vice-president of) a global leather exporter. He spent many summers at
Boothbay Harbor, Maine, where he enjoyed rowing a homemade boat in the harbor.
Zeamer became an
Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...
at the age of fourteen. (He is one of only eleven known
Eagle Scout
Eagle Scout is the highest achievement or rank attainable in the Scouts BSA program of the Boy Scouts of America (BSA). Since its inception in 1911, only four percent of Scouts have earned this rank after a lengthy review process. The Eagle Sc ...
s who also received the
Medal of Honor. The others are
Aquilla J. Dyess
Lieutenant Colonel Aquilla James Dyess (January 11, 1909 – February 2, 1944) was a United States Marine Corps officer who was a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life" at th ...
,
Robert Edward Femoyer,
Eugene B. Fluckey
Eugene Bennett Fluckey (October 5, 1913 – June 28, 2007), nicknamed "Lucky Fluckey", was a United States Navy rear admiral who received the Medal of Honor and four Navy Crosses during his service as a submarine commander in World War II.
Early ...
,
Walter Joseph Marm Jr.
Walter Joseph "Joe" Marm Jr. (born November 20, 1941) is a retired United States Army Colonel (United States), colonel and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor, for his actions in the Vietnam ...
,
Thomas R. Norris,
Arlo L. Olson
Arlo L. Olson (April 20, 1918 – October 28, 1943) was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II.
Biography
Olson's family moved to S ...
,
Mitchell Paige
Mitchell Paige(Mihajlo Pejić) (August 31, 1918 – November 15, 2003) was an American-Serbian retired United States Marine Corps colonel who received the nation's highest military decoration for valor in combat, the Medal of Honor, during W ...
,
Benjamin L. Salomon, and
Leo K. Thorsness
Leo Keith Thorsness (February 14, 1932 – May 2, 2017) was a colonel in the United States Air Force who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War. He was awarded the medal for an air engagement on April 19, 1967. He was shot ...
.) After a freshman year of high school in Orange, he was enrolled by his father in
Culver Military Academy in
Culver, Indiana
Culver is a town in Marshall County, Indiana, United States. Culver is part of Union Township, which also includes the communities of Burr Oak, Hibbard, Maxinkuckee and Rutland. The population of Culver was 1,129 at the 2020 United States Censu ...
, where he completed the Senior Infantry
Reserve Officers Training Corps course. Winning honors in marksmanship each year he was there, he served in the Culver Rifles Color Guard his last two years. After completing Advanced Camp for the
Reserve Officers Training Corps, he was given a certificate in lieu of a commission in the Infantry Officer Reserves Corps for which he could apply upon his twenty-first birthday.
He attended a year of junior college at Culver after graduation, taking on a more rigorous curriculum and attending summer school, allowing him to enter the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) as a second-year student. In August 1939, after turning twenty-one in July, he received his infantry commission, becoming a
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 ...
in the
Army Reserve, assigned to the 312th Infantry, 78th Division.,
Interested in aviation since childhood, in 1938 Zeamer had joined the M.I.T. flying club based in nearby
Norwood. Within a year he was licensed himself with a hundred solo hours in his logbook; he also served as manager of the club. In October 1939, Zeamer applied for the Army Air Corps flight training program and was accepted in December.
His entrance to the program was deferred until after his graduation from M.I.T. in June 1940 with a B.S. in
civil engineering, specializing in structural engineering. Zeamer began elementary flight school training as a flying cadet in the Chicago School of Aeronautics,
Glenview, Illinois, where his leadership skills earned him the position of Captain of Cadets of Class 41-B.
Military service
USAAF
In March 1941, he received his wings and a commission in the
U.S. Army Air Corps after graduating from basic and advanced flight school at
Maxwell Field,
Alabama. Initially assigned to the
96th Bombardment Squadron of the
2nd Bombardment Group
The 2d Operations Group (2 OG) is the flying component of the United States Air Force 2d Bomb Wing, assigned to the Air Force Global Strike Command Eighth Air Force. The group is stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana.
2 OG is one of t ...
as assistant engineering officer, Zeamer was transferred to the
63rd Bombardment Squadron
The 63d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 43rd Bombardment Wing, based at Little Rock AFB, Arkansas. It was inactivated on 31 January 1970.
History
Established in 1940 and activa ...
,
43rd Bombardment Group
The 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group is an active duty air mobility unit at Pope Field (formerly Pope AFB), Fort Bragg, North Carolina and is part of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) under the USAF Expeditionary Center. The unit is composed of f ...
, where he served as squadron executive officer. It was there that he first met his future bombardier,
Joseph Sarnoski. Sometime during the summer, Zeamer and "all the rest of the second lieutenants" were sent to
Patterson Field
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wri ...
in
Dayton
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
,
Ohio, for assisting with the service testing of the new
B-26 Marauder
The Martin B-26 Marauder is an American twin-engined medium bomber that saw extensive service during World War II. The B-26 was built at two locations: Baltimore, Maryland, and Omaha, Nebraska, by the Glenn L. Martin Company.
First used in t ...
by the
22nd Bombardment Group
The 22nd Operations Group is the operational flying component of the United States Air Force 22nd Air Refueling Wing. It is stationed at McConnell Air Force Base, Kansas, and is part of Air Mobility Command (AMC)'s Eighteenth Air Force.
The ...
. Following his return to Langley, Zeamer was assigned to the group's 19th Bombardment Squadron as a co-pilot. On December 8, 1941, the 22nd was transferred from Langley to California to fly
anti-submarine patrols and reconnaissance off the west coast of the United States. In March 1942, the 22nd BG was deployed to Australia, where Zeamer flew his first combat mission as a B-26 co-pilot on April 6, 1942. He was promoted to first lieutenant that same month. Still, due to issues of reaction time and aggressiveness on the controls, Zeamer had never checked out as first pilot in the B-26.
With the arrival of his old group, the 43rd, in Australia flying the new "F" model
Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress
The Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress is a four-engined heavy bomber developed in the 1930s for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC). Relatively fast and high-flying for a bomber of its era, the B-17 was used primarily in the European Theater ...
in August 1942, Zeamer sought and obtained a transfer from the 22nd to the 43rd. He reported for duty with the
403rd Bombardment Squadron
The 403d Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. It was last assigned to the 43rd Bombardment Wing at Carswell Air Force Base, Texas, where it was inactivated on 1 January 1961.
The squadron (aviation), squadron was f ...
in
Torrens Creek,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, on September 22, reuniting with his gunnery trainer and friend from the previous summer, Joe Sarnoski. Lacking any experience in the B-17, Zeamer had to scrounge for flights at first as a self-described "squadron errand boy" before gaining combat experience in October as a substitute copilot and even navigator. Despite having not yet been checked out as first pilot in the B-17, Zeamer flew his first mission as pilot-in-command on November 20, a photo reconnaissance of Simpson Harbor at
Rabaul
Rabaul () is a township in the East New Britain province of Papua New Guinea, on the island of New Britain. It lies about 600 kilometres to the east of the island of New Guinea. Rabaul was the provincial capital and most important settlement in ...
,
New Britain
New Britain ( tpi, Niu Briten) is the largest island in the Bismarck Archipelago, part of the Islands Region of Papua New Guinea. It is separated from New Guinea by a northwest corner of the Solomon Sea (or with an island hop of Umboi the Dam ...
. He was awarded the
Silver Star
The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...
for the mission, which also served as his transition to first pilot.
Around the end of 1942, Zeamer began putting together his own crew, beginning with Sarnoski and squadron navigator Charles "Rocky" Stone. Popular accounts of the crew and its formation refer to them as "screw-offs," "renegades," and "misfits." In time, they began calling themselves "The Eager Beavers" for Zeamer's constant volunteering for missions as they became available. An early incarnation of the crew was awarded Air Medals for the sinking of a merchant vessel at Rabaul on January 17, 1943. The bombing of Milne Bay that same day, as well as significant personnel losses to malaria and dengue fever, led to the 403rd being returned to Australia soon after for recuperation. Almost two months of non-combat followed, prompting another transfer for Zeamer, this time into the
65th Bomb Squadron of the 43rd BG, based in
Port Moresby,
New Guinea, in late March 1943. He was promoted to captain in early April, as well as made squadron operations officer. On April 12, the Eager Beavers flew a mission to Rabaul for which he was awarded an Oak Leaf Cluster to his Silver Star.
In May 1942, Zeamer was made squadron executive officer, and took on the upgrading of a B-17E, #41-2666, recently acquired from the
8th Photographic Reconnaissance Squadron 008, OO8, O08, or 0O8 may refer to:
* The Streetwear Brand @008us , inspired by Ian Fleming & Virgil Abloh
*"030", the fictional 030 Agent of MI6
* '' 038: Operation Exterminate'', a 1965 Italian action film
* '' Explosivo 030'' a 1940 Argentine c ...
, for photographic mapping purposes. The Flying Fortress was one of the few in the theater equipped with the
trimetrogon camera system, which allowed the creation of photographic mosaics for generating accurate ground maps. The aircrew replaced the aircraft's aging engines with new, stripped the bomber of much of its extra weight, and added additional heavy machine guns, including dual
.50 caliber M2 Brownings in both the radio compartment and waist gun positions, three in the nose, including a fixed .50 caliber in the plexiglas combing that Zeamer could directly fire from his pilot's control yoke. Contemporary accounts, including the 65th Bomb Squadron's morning report for that day, as well as Zeamer's own flight log, record the aircraft being equipped with 16 active .50 caliber machine guns, with three additional spares stored in the B-17's catwalk for quick combat-related substitution, if and when needed. Now transformed into a Flying Fortress gunship, the B-17 was known to its aircrew as "666," or popularly as "
Old 666
''Old 666'' was a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress heavy bomber, serial number 41-2666, assigned to the United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) 19th and 43rd Bombardment Groups in 1942–1943. It is notable for being the aircraft piloted by Lt. Col ...
".
Medal of Honor
In April 1943, Zeamer and the crew had been approached about a solo, round-trip photo-mapping mission of the western coast of
Bougainville, with emphasis on
Empress Augusta Bay where any marine landings would be made. Such maps were considered vital to a future invasion of the island in support of coalescing plans for the reduction of Rabaul. It was presented as a volunteer mission because extended mapping runs would require straight and level flight runs of up to 22 minutes deep through hostile territory.
The necessary weather for such a run proved elusive for two months, until mid-June. When the 8th PRS was unable to get the necessary photos on June 15, Zeamer was contacted again. At 4 a.m. the next morning, 16 June 1943, after intense preparations in the days before, the crew headed for Bougainville. Twice already, once the night before and once as the aircraft was taxiing for take-off, they were ordered by
V Bomber Command
The V Bomber Command is an inactive United States Army Air Forces unit. It was last assigned to Fifth Air Force, based at Irumagawa AB, Japan. It was inactivated on 31 May 1946.
During World War II the unit initially controlled Fifth Air Forc ...
to do a photo recon of the Japanese airstrip on
Buka, a small island off the northern tip of
Bougainville. Zeamer rejected the idea both times as too dangerous, almost guaranteeing interception by enemy fighters while in sustained level flight for the mapping operation.
Arriving too early at Bougainville to start the aerial mapping, Zeamer put the question to his aircrew of whether to pass the time flying over the ocean or perform the Buka recon. After they voted for the recon, Zeamer flew northeast in a loop to come back over Buka on their way into the mapping run. Photos taken that day reportedly showed twenty-one Japanese fighters taxiing or taking off to intercept. With approximately a minute left in the mapping run, "Old 666" faced a coordinated attack by eight A6M3 Model 22
Zero fighters from 251
Kōkūtai, as well as an unidentified twin-engined fighter. The ensuing attack mortally wounded
bombardier Sarnoski, who struggled back to his machine gun to drive off a second Zero after being blown back from his position by a
20 mm
20 mm caliber is a specific size of popular autocannon ammunition. It is typically used to distinguish smaller-caliber weapons, commonly called "guns", from larger-caliber "cannons" (e.g. machine gun vs. autocannon). All 20 mm cartridges ha ...
cannon shell
A shell, in a military context, is a projectile whose payload contains an explosive, incendiary, or other chemical filling. Originally it was called a bombshell, but "shell" has come to be unambiguous in a military context. Modern usage s ...
from the first Zero. A total of four 20 mm shells destroyed the pilot's side of the instrument panel and broke Zeamer's left leg above and below the knee, leaving a large hole in his left thigh. He was also hit by shrapnel in both arms and his right leg, with a gash in his right wrist. Three others were also wounded, including the navigator and top turret gunner, who responded to a resulting oxygen fire by putting it out with rags and their bare hands.
Due to the loss of oxygen and to escape their attackers, Zeamer dived the B-17 violently from to approximately , estimating the altitude by an increase in engine
manifold pressure. The Japanese followed them down and commenced a forty-minute series of attack passes at the nose of the Flying Fortress. Despite his wounds, Zeamer avoided any further extensive damage to the B-17 by repeatedly turning into the oncoming fighters, just inside the trajectory of their fixed fire, a technique he learned while in the 22nd BG. By doing so, the Zeros would continue rolling into the bomber without hitting it, but exposing themselves to the Flying Fortress' rear machine guns. Eventually, all of the Zeros broke off the attack due either to damage, lack of ammunition, or lack of fuel.
After the engagement, an assessment revealed that the B-17's
oxygen and
hydraulic systems were destroyed, as well as all of the pilot's
flight instruments. The
magnetic compass and engine instruments on the co-pilot's side were undamaged, as were all four engines. Too wounded to move and unwilling to give up command of his aircraft, Zeamer advised the top turret gunner after he took over co-piloting duties, allowing the unwounded co-pilot to attend to the wounded. The lack of oxygen, in addition to Zeamer's and the navigator's injuries, meant a return to Port Moresby over the
Owen Stanley Mountains
Owen Stanley Range is the south-eastern part of the central mountain-chain in Papua New Guinea. Its highest point is Mount Victoria at , while its most prominent peak is Mount Suckling.
History
Owen Stanley Range was seen in 1849 by Captain Ow ...
was impossible. Instead, they made an emergency landing at an Allied fighter airstrip at
Dobodura,
New Guinea. Without operable
brake
A brake is a mechanical device that inhibits motion by absorbing energy from a moving system. It is used for slowing or stopping a moving vehicle, wheel, axle, or to prevent its motion, most often accomplished by means of friction.
Background ...
s or
flaps because of the destroyed hydraulic system, the B-17 was
ground-looped, without additional damage, by the co-pilot. The casualties were one killed (Sarnoski) and four wounded. Zeamer was initially thought dead from loss of blood, but he was treated with the other injured aircrew members by the 10th Field Ambulance of the
Royal Australian Army Medical Corps
The Royal Australian Army Medical Corps (RAAMC) is the branch of the Australian Army responsible for providing medical care to Army personnel. The AAMC was formed in 1902 through the amalgamation of medical units of the various Australian coloni ...
before being transported back to Port Moresby the next day.
Colonel
Merian C. Cooper
Merian Caldwell Cooper (October 24, 1893 – April 21, 1973) was an American filmmaker and Academy Award winner, as well as a former aviator who served as an officer in the United States Air Force and Polish Air Force. In film, he is credited a ...
, chief of staff to the deputy commander of the Fifth Air Force, Major General
Ennis Whitehead, recommended Zeamer be awarded the
Medal of Honor, to which
Fifth Air Force commander General
George Kenney concurred. Zeamer received the award from Chief of the Army Air Forces General
Henry H. Arnold
Henry Harley Arnold (June 25, 1886 – January 15, 1950) was an American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and later, General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps (1938–1941), ...
on January 16, 1944, at
the Pentagon.
Sarnoski was also awarded the Medal of Honor, marking only the third time in U.S. history that two members of the same crew received the Medal of Honor for a single mission. (In
World War I,
Erwin R. Bleckley
Erwin Russell Bleckley (December 30, 1894 – October 6, 1918) was a United States Army aviator during World War I, and posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor, killed in action on October 6, 1918, near the "lost battalion". Bleckley ent ...
and
Harold Ernest Goettler
Harold Ernest Goettler (July 21, 1890 – October 6, 1918) was a U.S. Army Air Service aviator killed in action on October 6, 1918 while locating the Lost Battalion of the 77th Division during World War I. He died of wounds resulting from Germa ...
were posthumously honored for their efforts to resupply the "
Lost Battalion", while
Addison Baker and
John L. Jerstad
John Louis Jerstad (February 12, 1918 – August 1, 1943) was a United States Army Air Forces officer who was posthumously awarded the United States military's highest decoration, the Medal of Honor. He received the medal for his actions as a B ...
received the award just two months after Zeamer's Medal of Honor action during the Allied raids on oil refineries in
Ploieşti,
Romania. In addition, World War I pilot
Ralph Talbot
Ralph Talbot (January 6, 1897 – October 25, 1918) was the first United States Marine Corps aviator to receive the Medal of Honor — for "exceptionally meritorious service and extraordinary heroism" while attached to Squadron C, U.S. 1st ...
and his observer,
Robert G. Robinson, were awarded the Medal of Honor for two missions they undertook together.) All other members of Zeamer's aircrew received the
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 ...
. This remains the most highly decorated single air mission, and Zeamer's aircrew the most highly decorated in American history.
Promotions and discharge
Zeamer was promoted to
major
Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...
on July 8, 1943, and
lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...
in April 1944. He spent 15 months in recovery, regaining most of the use of his left leg, and returned to active duty at
Mitchel Field,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
as a
Tactical Field Air Inspector. On January 18, 1945, Zeamer retired from the USAAF on
disability.
Later life
He returned to MIT and obtained a master's degree in
aeronautical engineering in 1946. Zeamer then worked for a series of
aerospace companies:
Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations. It is a subsidiary of Raytheon Technologies. Pratt & Whitney's aircraft engines are widely used in both civil aviation (especially airlines) and military aviat ...
in
East Hartford, Connecticut, followed by
Hughes Aircraft in
Los Angeles,
California, and finally
Raytheon in
Bedford, Massachusetts. Zeamer moved to Boothbay Harbor, Maine, in 1968, where he enjoyed rowing in the harbor, as he had done in his childhood. He retired in 1975.
Zeamer married in 1949, and with his wife Barbara raised five daughters: Marcia, Jacque, Jayne, Susan, and Sandra. Barbara Zeamer stated that he rarely talked about his wartime experiences or the medal. "I think he didn't feel he deserved it. He was so close to his bombardier
arnoskiand he felt terrible about his being killed".
Zeamer died in a
nursing home at age 88. At the time of his death, he was the last living Medal of Honor recipient of the U.S. Army Air Forces.
Zeamer's funeral was held on May 11, 2007, and he was buried at
Arlington National Cemetery, in
Arlington, Virginia. The governor of Maine,
John Baldacci, ordered that flags in the state be flown at
half-staff on the day of the funeral.
Awards and decorations
Legacy
Zeamer's Medal of Honor mission was featured on
The History Channel and in
Martin Caidin's article "Mission Over Buka," published in the February 1956 edition of ''
Argosy
Argosy or The Argosy may refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media
* ''Argosy'' (magazine), an American pulp magazine 1882–1978 and revived 1990–1994, 2004–2006
* ''Argosy'' (UK magazine), three British magazines
* Argosy spaceship in ''Escap ...
'' magazine. Caidin adapted the article for the first chapter of his 1968 book ''Flying Forts: The B-17 in WWII''.
There is a "Lt. Col. Jay Zeamer Squadron" in the
Arnold Air Society
The Arnold Air Society (AAS) is a professional, honorary, service organization. AAS is open to officer candidates in Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) and at the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA), and is formally affiliated ...
under
Massachusetts Institute of Technology's
AFROTC
The Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (AFROTC) is one of the three primary commissioning sources for officers in the United States Air Force and United States Space Force, the other two being the United States Air Force Academy (USAFA) ...
program.
The
43d Airlift Wing
The 43rd Airlift Wing is an inactive United States Air Force unit last stationed at Pope Field, part of Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where it was inactivated in March 2011. The wing performed en route operations support at Pope Field to include ...
's headquarters building on
Pope Air Force Base was named in Zeamer's honor in October 2008.
Since 2011, the building has been the headquarters of the
43d Airlift Group
The 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group is an active duty air mobility unit at Pope Field (formerly Pope AFB), Fort Bragg, North Carolina and is part of the Air Mobility Command (AMC) under the USAF Expeditionary Center. The unit is composed of ...
.
In 2011, Zeamer was selected as the
class exemplar of the Class of 2014 at the
United States Air Force Academy. His name is now worn on the left sleeve of that class's athletic jacket uniforms.
See also
*
List of Medal of Honor recipients
The Medal of Honor was created during the American Civil War and is the highest military decoration presented by the United States government to a member of its armed forces. The recipient must have distinguished themselves at the risk of their ...
Notes
References
*
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zeamer, Jay Jr
1918 births
2007 deaths
United States Army Air Forces Medal of Honor recipients
Aviators from Pennsylvania
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
People from Carlisle, Pennsylvania
People from Orange, New Jersey
Military personnel from Pennsylvania
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
Recipients of the Silver Star
Recipients of the Air Medal
United States Army Air Forces officers
United States Army Air Forces bomber pilots of World War II
World War II recipients of the Medal of Honor
People from Boothbay Harbor, Maine
Culver Academies alumni
Military personnel from New Jersey