Alvin “Jack” Cline was born in Davenport, Iowa, on September 5, 1918. At 12, he played trumpet in his older brother’s jazz band. His musical talents led to him being drafted into the Army National Guard’s 34th Division Regimental Band. He wouldn’t stay there for long, later recalling: “One of our group tried to get into pilot training but failed the test. When we gave him a hard time about it, he bet us that none of the rest of us could pass it either. I rose to the challenge.”
Cline passed and became a pilot, and the band would soon be sent to the European Theater; just three of Cline’s group from the band would come home.
Cline and his crew were sent to Algeria to fly bombing missions in his Boeing B-17. He nicknamed his B-17 “The Mickey Joy,” after his wife Mavis, whom he called Mickey. According to Cline’s son: “He was going to marry my mother in town. But he was stationed down in Georgia and gave his wings to another lady. He was not thinking that it meant that they were engaged. Both of his grandmothers found out and ‘went ballistic’ to get him back so he could marry Mavis.”
Cline would fly an astounding 50 missions during World War II. He would earn the nickname “Lucky Jack” for never losing anyone and always landing safely. After World War II, he would stay in the Reserve and have command over the 9686th Squadron, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.
After his time in the Army Air Corps/US Air Force, he taught high school band for 12 years in the schools of Clinton County. He also played trumpet and percussion instruments for the Tri-City Symphony. He became an avid golfer and rarely talked about the war, so much so that his family never saw a picture of the Mavis Joy until after his grandson found a picture of it online in 2020.
Alvin “Jack” Cline died on March 30, 1998. He was 79. He was survived by his wife Mavis. He is buried in Section T, Row 0, Site 106 at Rock Island National Cemetery. Honor him at 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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