John Harold Pease was born in November 1919 to John and Mary Pease in Stillwater, Minnesota. His passion for aviation took flight in Boise, Idaho, where his family relocated when he was 10. An outdoorsman at heart, he spent his youth hunting and fishing along the Boise River. After his early years in Boise, he attended Boise State University, where he not only excelled academically but also played football. He completed the Civilian Pilot Training Program (CPTP) before joining the Army Air Corps in 1939.
Pease’s military career began at Randolph Air Force Base in Texas, where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1940.
On Oct. 24, 1941, while testing new radar facilities, Pease’s P-40 engine failed and he survived a harrowing ejection over the Sierra Nevada Mountains during a severe storm. He then faced a grueling 3-day journey to safety while several of his squadron pilots lost their lives in the crash.
Pease’s leadership and skill led to his appointment as Squadron Commander of the 389th Fighter Squadron, part of the 366th Fighter Group. His finest hour came in June 1944 on D-Day. As the first fighter pilot to fly over Normandy during the largest amphibious invasion in history, Pease played a crucial role in supporting the Allied forces that would ultimately turn the tide of the war.
For his service, Pease was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross, a Legion of Merit, a France’s Croix de Guerre avec Palme, a Joint Staff Commendation Medal, an Army Commendation Medal and an Air Force Commendation Medal.
Throughout his 30-year military career, Pease held several key command and staff positions. These included Commander of the 122nd Fighter Group Air Defense (F-102A) from 1957 to 1959, J-3 at the Joint Chiefs of Staff (Air Defense) from 1963 to 1965; Commander of the 37th Air Division at Goose Air Base in Labrador, Canada, from 1965 to 1968; and Deputy Inspector General of the Aerospace Defense Command from 1969 to 1970. His career culminated in his retirement as a colonel in February 1970.
Pease was an active member of several organizations, including the Daedalians, TROA and USAF AA, as well as various local civic groups. He also assisted in the Retiree Affairs Office at Peterson Air Force Base, continuing his service to the military community even in retirement.
John Harold Pease died in December 2022 at the age of 103. He was laid to rest at Willamette National Cemetery.
We honor his service.
Writer: Yosaida Santana
Editor: Tayler Rairigh
Researcher: Raphael Romea
Graphic Designer: Kiki Kelley
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A bit of clarification. The P-40 had no ejection seat. Pease would’ve had to manually bail out over the side or flip inverted and drop out (less likely with an engine failure) and once clear of the plane, pull his ripcord to get his chute — considerably more difficult than simply pulling an ejection seat handle and being rocketed out of the plane with a later automatic chute activation.
Also, the way it is written makes it seem as though others were present in his single-seat plane, whereas the others would have lost their lives in separate crashes — possibly in formation with his airplane.
Excellent story about one of our many aviators during WWII! I consider them all Heroes! My Father was a gunner (ball-turret) on a ‘Flying-Fortress’ B-17 and flew over Normandy, with the 351st B.G., many times before D-Day. The Army Air Corps lost 88,000 airmen in WWII. All heroes! I had no idea what the Army Air Forces did until I returned from overseas duty (Army) during the Vietnam War. My Father opened up his memory (with the help of a combat diary) and shared his story. The cost of Freedom was/is high! God Bless America!