Louis L. Longman was born on January 23, 1918, in Murdock, Minnesota, to George and Ellen Longman. Both of Longman’s parents died unexpectedly: his father in 1922 and his mother in 1923. After the deaths of his parents, the young Longman and his siblings moved to Clinton, Iowa, to live with relatives. As a teenager, he worked for the Davenport Democrat and Leader as a newspaper carrier and attended St. Mary’s High School in Clinton, Iowa, where he participated in several sports and other extracurricular activities, such as yearbook sports editor.
Longman graduated high school in 1936. He didn’t enter active service in the Army until February 1942. A few months later, he transferred to the U.S. Army Air Forces and completed primary flight training at the Cal-Aero Academy, and basic training at the Merced Army Airfield, both in California. He completed Advanced Flight Training at Williams Army Airfield in Arizona.
On April 12, 1943, Longman received his wings after completing all of his flight training, and he soon began flying escort missions with the 475th fighter group. Throughout his military service, he ended up completing 89 of these escort missions.
On April 16, 1944, Longman left for an escort mission with the 5th Air Force, 475th Fighter Group (known as “Satan’s Angels.”) For this mission, he flew a P-38J to escort A-20 Havoc bombers to surprise a Japanese airbase in Hollandia, New Guinea, and destroy its growing supply of war materials. The mission itself was successful, but on return, the American aircraft encountered a severe storm. The last reported sighting of Longman’s aircraft was near Bogadjim, New Guinea. This day was later called “Black Sunday,” as it was the largest non-combat loss suffered by the USAAF in the war.
Between 2007 and 2010, parts of the P-38J were recovered, as well as human remains. Later, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency, which had been investigating crash sites, matched the mitochondrial DNA of remains found at one of the crash sites to that of Longman’s niece. Finally, he was laid to rest at the Rock Island National Cemetery, in Section 1, Site 439.
Please take a moment to honor his service and sacrifice by visiting his Veterans Legacy Memorial page.
This #VeteranOfTheDay is from the Veterans Legacy Program. To learn more about the VLP, our partnerships and how we share the stories of Veterans in our national cemeteries, please visit the VLP webpage.
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