Ray Melikian (June 7, 1918 – October 25, 2013) was a fighter pilot of the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

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 opposing ...

where he achieved the rank of major. Melikian flew 228 missions during the war and was known for having "superkeen" eyesight.

Life

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

descent, Ray Melikian was born in

Fresno Fresno () is a major city in the San Joaquin Valley of California, United States. It is the county seat of Fresno County and the largest city in the greater Central Valley region. It covers about and had a population of 542,107 in 2020, maki ...

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

in 1918. He attended school at Kerman High School. He joined the military where he completed his training in August 1941. After completion of his training, Melikian was sent to Australia then

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...

. He is a farmer by profession.

World War II

When World War II commenced, Ray Melikian was assigned to the

7th Fighter Squadron The 7th Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, assigned to the 1st Operations Group. It is stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia. Overview The 7th Fighter Squadron is an active United States Air Force unit, assign ...

of the United States Army Air Forces. Melikian was assigned to fly many aircraft including

Curtiss P-40 Warhawk The Curtiss P-40 Warhawk is an American single-engined, single-seat, all-metal fighter and ground-attack aircraft that first flew in 1938. The P-40 design was a modification of the previous Curtiss P-36 Hawk which reduced development time an ...

. The aircraft would eventually have three markings of victory. On August 23, 1942 Melikian took off from Darwin, Australia on a mission to intercept Japanese aircraft and eventually shot down a Japanese

Mitsubishi A6M Zero The Mitsubishi A6M "Zero" is a long-range 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 1940 to 1945. The A6M w ...

. On March 5, 1943, while flying over the skies of

, Melikian managed to shoot down a

Ki-43 Oscar The Nakajima Ki-43 ''Hayabusa'' (, "Peregrine falcon", "Army Type 1 Fighter" ) is a single-engine land-based tactical fighter used by the Imperial Japanese Army Air Service in World War II. The Allied reporting name was "Oscar", but it was o ...

over Malahang in the

Morobe Province Morobe Province is a province on the northern coast of Papua New Guinea. The provincial capital and largest city is Lae. The province covers 33,705 km2, with a population of 674,810 (2011 census), and since the division of Southern Highlands ...

. Melikian allowed a friend to borrow his plane in order to conduct a mission. The plane was never returned. In 1969 the wreckage of the plane was discovered in a jungle in

with skeletal remains in it. The plane still contained Melikian's signature on the side of it. In his career as an Air Forces pilot, Melikian went on 228 missions and shot down a total of three Japanese fighter aircraft.

Medals

His decorations include:

Awards

In 1942 Ray Melikian was named Fresno's most outstanding man of the year.

Legacy

Ray Melikian's plane was found in a junkyard in Australia in 1974. The plane was badly damaged and was in many parts. The plane was sold twice until it was purchased off eBay and then restored by Chris Prevost, owner o
Vintage Aircraft Co
, who bought and machined many of the parts needed for its restoration. The parts needed for restoration cost approximately $600,000 which included a fuselage that cost $151,000. In 2009 the aircraft was completed and on March 14, 2009, Ray Melikian flew the plane with Chris Provost at th
Vintage Airport
in Sonoma, CA. Ray Melikian was 90 years old at the time of the flight. The restored aircraft included Melikian's name and victories on the left side of the cockpit. A portion of one of the

aircraft Ray Melikian flew during World War II is also displayed at the Museum of

Charters Towers Charters Towers is a rural town in the Charters Towers Region, Queensland, Australia. It is by road south-west from Townsville on the Flinders Highway. During the last quarter of the 19th century, the town boomed as the rich gold deposits unde ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melikian, Ray 1918 births 2013 deaths Farmers from California United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II American people of Armenian descent People from Fresno, California Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Air Medal Military personnel from California