Come celebrate a WWII Veteran’s centennial birthday
KINGMAN – For many of us, World War II seems like a lifetime ago. And in many ways, it is. Many of us grew up learning about it in school. It is hard to break through the hard sheen of another time, a feat that gets more and more difficult with each passing year.
But that sheen thins every time a surviving WWII Veteran tells their story. And those stories are becoming scarce opportunities as the years go by. Kingman has the chance to hear one of these riveting stories this year. Major Leven Ferrin, a bomber pilot in the Army Air Corps during WWII, will be celebrating his 100th birthday on Dec. 6 at the Kingman Airport located at 7000 Flightline Dr. Maj. Leven Ferrin and his family will be visiting from Phoenix to take a flight in the Commemorative Army Air Corps’ B-17 “Sentimental Journey” in honor of Maj. Ferrin’s service. “Sentimental Journey” will also make a round above the entire town of Kingman before landing at the airport, letting the community know of its arrival. “Sentimental Journey” will be open for public ground tours after Major Ferrin’s historic flight. Tours cost $10 per person, $20 per family. No charge for WWII veterans, disabled veterans, active military, or children under 5. The event is being sponsored by the Aviation Heritage Center of Kingman through private donations. The organization is a 501(c)3 non-profit and all donations are tax deductible. www.aviationheritagecenter.org
Maj. Ferrin was one of few B-17 pilots in WWII that completed all 25 missions over Europe with the 8th Army Air Corps and returned home.
Maj. Ferrin received his private pilot’s license in April of 1942 and enlisted with the Army Air Corps shortly thereafter. He completed boot camp in Santa Ana, California, and his primary training took place in Oxnard, CA. He graduated on April 12, 1943.
Maj. Ferrin was assigned to the 533rd Squadron of the 381st Bomb Group. The 381 BG was activated on Nov. 3, 1942 and arrived at the Ridgewell Airfield in England on June 9, 1942. According the 533rd Bomb Squadron War Diary, Maj. Ferrin arrived at Ridgewell on July 8, 1943.
“At that time, there had never been a person out of our squadron who finished up their missions and were released from combat flying,” Maj. Ferrin explained during a recounting of his military history to his family. “You had to fly 25 missions where you had an actual encounter with the enemy before you were released. If you took off and went towards the coast of France and were called back, it didn’t count. This happened about a third or more of the time.”
Maj. Ferrin’s first mission was on July 18, 1943, and he served as co-pilot. They flew into Germany, but Ferrin’s subsequent missions later took him and his crew into Norway, Holland, France, and Belgium as well.
“We’d usually get up about 1 or 2 o’clock in the morning, get off the ground close to 5 or 6, and get back around 4 o’clock in the afternoon,” Ferrin recalled. “Most missions went from 6 to 10 hours, and you’d be flying under oxygen at an altitude of 22-25,000 ft. To have an oxygen mask on all that time would get you very tired and cramped. The temperature would run as low as 50 degrees Centigrade below 0.”
Maj. Ferrin completed his 25th mission on January 5, 1944 at an airfield in Tours, France. He flew as pilot.
“When I landed my 25th mission, I parked the plane, went to debriefing, showered, changed my clothes, and headed into London without saying a word to anyone,” Ferrin detailed. “I came back after a week in London to learn that Colonel Lazaro wanted to see me. I thought, ‘He’s got me for AWOL.’ [But] all he did was hand me the Distinguished Flying Cross and another air medal and said, ‘Sorry to have you go. Congratulations, and here are your orders back home.’”
Maj. Ferrin boarded a cargo boat that had been converted to a troop carrier.
“I got off the boat Feb. 14 and I spent 2 days in New York getting cleared. Then I got on a train and headed home.”
Maj. Leven Ferrin’s story is historied and detailed and a true glimpse into the monumental WWII archive. Listening to his story is a rare opportunity, and one that will only ever come in a single lifetime. So please come by the Kingman Airport on Dec. 6 as the community honors and celebrates not only Maj. Leven Ferrin, but all of the WWII vets that served.
Andrea Heer-Elliott
