Loren Dale Everton (July 14, 1915 – February 15, 1991) was a highly decorated

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

. He was a

flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...

credited with shooting down twelve enemy planes and was awarded the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

Early life and service

Loren D. Everton was born on July 14, 1915, in

Crofton, Nebraska Crofton is a city in Knox County, Nebraska, United States. The population was 726 at the 2010 census. History Crofton was platted in 1892. The city was named after Crofton Court, England, the former estate of a railroad promoter. Gavins Point ...

. At the age of 17, he earned his flying license. He graduated from Crofton High School in 1933 and attended the College of Pharmacy at the

University of Nebraska A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, where he was a member of the

Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (AROTC) is the United States Army component of the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. It is the largest Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) program which is a group of college and university-based offic ...

. Upon graduating from the university in 1937, Everton was commissioned as 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

United States Army Reserve The United States Army Reserve (USAR) is a Military reserve force, reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the Army element of the reserve components of the United States Armed F ...

. In 1939, Everton resigned from the Army and enlisted in the Marine Corps in order to attend flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. Upon completing flight training, he was stationed at

Midway Atoll Midway Atoll (colloquial: Midway Islands; haw, Kauihelani, translation=the backbone of heaven; haw, Pihemanu, translation=the loud din of birds, label=none) is a atoll in the North Pacific Ocean. Midway Atoll is an insular area of the Unit ...

, and was there on December 7, 1941, when the Japanese

attacked Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, j ...

World War II

With the United States drawn into World War II,

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

Everton was assigned to Marine Fighting Squadron 212 (VMF-212) in

Hawaii Hawaii ( ; haw, Hawaii or ) is a state in the Western United States, located in the Pacific Ocean about from the U.S. mainland. It is the only U.S. state outside North America, the only state that is an archipelago, and the only stat ...

. While VMF-212 was on the island of Efate, Vanuatu in early August of 1942, Everton's commanding officer,

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 ...

Harold W. Bauer Harold William "Joe" Bauer (November 20, 1908 – November 14, 1942) was a United States Marine Corps air group commander, fighter pilot and flying ace credited with destroying 11 Japanese aircraft during World War II. He was posthumously awa ...

, temporarily transferred him to another squadron. The other squadron, Marine Fighting Squadron 223 (VMF-223), was heading towards

Guadalcanal Guadalcanal (; indigenous name: ''Isatabu'') is the principal island in Guadalcanal Province of Solomon Islands, located in the south-western Pacific, northeast of Australia. It is the largest island in the Solomon Islands by area, and the seco ...

to take part in the upcoming

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

there and needed experienced pilots. On August 20, VMF-223 flew 200 miles from the aircraft carrier USS ''Long Island'' to Henderson Field on Guadalcanal. On the morning of August 21, the commanding officer of VMF-223, Captain John Smith, ordered Everton to lead a flight of F4F Wildcats to investigate reports of Japanese troops landing on a beach. Everton and the pilots under his charge strafed a great number of Japanese soldiers on the beach, marking the first combat action of VMF-223. On August 26, Everton saw his first air-to-air combat. He shot down three Mitsubishi G4M "Betty" bombers, and probably shot down a fourth. On September 1, the transfer pilots from VMF-212 were relieved and returned to Efate. Captain Everton returned to Guadalcanal with his original squadron, VMF-212, on October 16. On October 18, he co-led a mission with Frederick Payne to intercept Japanese bombers and he personally downed two planes, including an

A6M Zero The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range carrier-based aircraft, carrier-based fighter aircraft formerly manufactured by Mitsubishi Aircraft Company, a part of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and was operated by the Imperial Japanese Navy from 19 ...

. Two days later on October 20, Captain Everton and VMF-212 engaged several dozen Betties and Zeros. Everton was about to down a Zero when his F4F was riddled by machine gun and cannon fire. Two 20mm shells exploded in the

cockpit A cockpit or flight deck is the area, usually near the front of an aircraft or spacecraft, from which a Pilot in command, pilot controls the aircraft. The cockpit of an aircraft contains flight instruments on an instrument panel, and the ...

, severely wounding Everton in the leg. Everton's plane spiraled out of control for several thousand feet before he regained control. Everton then returned to Henderson Field and made an emergency landing. What remained of his aircraft was sent to the scrap pile and he was medically evacuated from Guadalcanal. Captain Everton was credited with seven aerial victories from August to October 1942. He was awarded the Navy Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, and

Purple Heart The Purple Heart (PH) is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those wounded or killed while serving, on or after 5 April 1917, with the U.S. military. With its forerunner, the Badge of Military Merit, w ...

during this period. After recovering from his wounds in January 1943,

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 ...

Everton became the commanding officer of Marine Fighting Squadron 113 (VMF-113). While serving as commanding officer of VMF-113, Everton participated in long range escorts for bombers. He also shot down several more Japanese aircraft, bringing his total number of victories to 12 and earning the title of double ace.

Later career and life

After the war, Everton served as the commanding officer of Marine Fighting Squadron 122 (VMF-122). He served in a number of other assignments before retiring with the rank of colonel in June 1967. Loren D. Everton died on February 15, 1991, in

Santa Ana, California Santa Ana () is the second most populous city and the county seat of Orange County, California. Located in the Greater Los Angeles region of Southern California, the city's population was 310,227 at the 2020 census, making Santa Ana the List of ...

. He was buried in El Toro Memorial Park in the nearby town of

Lake Forest, California Lake Forest is a city in Orange County, California. The population was 85,858 at the 2020 census. Lake Forest incorporated as a city on December 20, 1991. Prior to incorporation, the community had been known as El Toro. Following a vote in 20 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Everton, Loren D. 1915 births 1991 deaths United States Marine Corps personnel of World War II American World War II flying aces Aviators from Nebraska Military personnel from Nebraska Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) United States Marine Corps colonels United States Marine Corps pilots of World War II United States Naval Aviators