When my Great Grandmother Jeanette Anna Wolf passed away, I found Lyles’s items hidden in a suitcase in her attic 50 years later. That suitcase was a historical jackpot. It contained Lyle’s personal items from his camp that were given to his wife LaVerna after he, his plane, and flight crew were declared missing 3 days after WWII “officially” ended. The suitcase held his honorary burial flag, his flight school records, his personal 201 military records, military photos, and other ephemera.
Lyle was the grandfather I never knew and who died 20 years before I was born. I did not get to know him well until 50 years after his death and through the records and photos, he left behind. I am thankful my great-grandmother never threw anything away. You can read more of Lyle’s history in his biography.
It is amazing that I have all of Lyle’s original military records. I wrote to the National Personnel Records Center to get copies of any records they had on Lyle. I was told they did not have any of his records due to the fire of 1973 at the records office.
The photo below is Lyle’s graduation from Ground School. He is on the back row 5th man from the left. This training was the first on his way to becoming a pilot. The ground school training was at Blythe Army Airfield, California.
Note: I’ve spent a lot of time researching the whereabouts of these folks. This helps me to put Lyle’s life together in terms of who he was comrades with. The links in the photo description go to Find-a-Grave. I don’t mind paying it forward. If you happen to know who these folks are in the photos, please send me a message through the contact link at the top of this page.
Unfortunately, I’ve had to watermark my images. I have spent a lot of time and money digitizing and cleaning up these images. I have found people stealing and monetizing off them. If you are family and would like a copy of the image for your personal use I will be glad to send you a copy.
Photo Back Row: EM Greathouse, WD Hammond, DF Sly, Lawrence “Larry” Daniel Swanson, Lyle Daniel Van Volkenburg, Henry G Weaver, WR Ginsky, JE Fowler, R Hesse, GL Loelkes
Photo Front Row: LH Hernden, FJ Fourn, Norris Arthur Houk, HE Williams, JW Kremenek, RH Rankin, DV Stewart, DE Forke, JW Graves, E Foote
Timeline of events found in the records:
| Date (any links in this column will open the document) | Location | Description (any links in this column will take you to external descriptions) |
|---|---|---|
| February, March, and April 1944 | Blythe Army Air Base, Blythe California | Flight record. Army Air Force Basic Training. Attached to 10th Army Air Force. |
| April 15, 1944 | Gary Field, Blythe California | Morton Air Academy graduation certificate – 65 hrs training completed –Gary Field in Blythe, CA Primary USAAF Training School attached to 10th AAF – |
| April, May, and June 1944 | Minter Field, Kern County, California | Flight Record. Aviation Cadet Pilot Training School at Minter field. |
| July,Aug, Sept 1944 | La Junta Army Air Field, Colorado | Flight Record. Student Pilot Advanced Training School at La Junta, Became Pilot on 9/8/1944 |
| August 23, 1944 | La Junta Army Air Field, Colorado | Passed his Oral Exam |
| August 25, 1944 | La Junta Army Air Field, Colorado | Received Pilot Flight Instrument Certificate |
| Sept 7, 1944 | La Junta Army Air Field, Colorado | Flight Record. Discharged as Aviation Cadet from La Junta and then re-enlisted as a Flight Officer. |
| September 8, 1944 | La Junta Army Air Field, Colorado | Flight Record. La Junta Army Flying School Graduation Class 44 H |
| September 1944 | La Junta Army Air Field, Colorado | Flight Record. Attached to 37th wing, section B of the 3020th. Transferred to Will Rodgers Field. |
| 10/3/1944 through 1/11/1945 | Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma | Photo Reconnaissance Pilot Training |
| October 1944 | Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma | Flight Record. Transferred to Coffeyville Air Field for a few weeks then transferred back to Will Rogers and Attached to 3rd, III TAC, III TAD, Squadron S 379th AAF Base Unit |
| November 1944 | Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma | Flight Record. Attached to 3rd, III TAC, Squadron S 348th AAF Base Unit |
| Nov 16 1944 | Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma | Certified to fly a P-38 |
| Dec 1944 | Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma | Flight record. Attached to 3rd, III TAC, Squadron S 348th AAF Base Unit |
| Jan 22 1945 | Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma | Received Photo Reconnaissance Pilot Training Diploma |
| Jan 1945 | Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma | Flight Record. Was transferred out from Will Rogers to Hunter Field, still attached to 348th on Jan2o, 1944. At some point after Lyle was attached to the 8th Photo Group Reconnaissance. |
| Feb 1945 | APO 465 Ragoon Burma India | Assigned and regrouped as 8th Photo Group, 40th Reconnaissance Squadron |
| March 1945 | APO 465 Calcutta (Kolkata) Burma India | Flight Record, Assigned to 8th Photographic group, 40th Photo Reconn Squadron |
| April 1945 | APO 465 Calcutta (Kolkata) Burma India | Flight Record, Flight Record, 8th Photographic group, 40th Photo Reconn Squadron |
| May 1945 | APO 465 Calcutta (Kolkata) Burma India | Flight Record, 8th Photographic group, 40th Photo Reconn Squadron |
| June 1945 | APO 465 Calcutta (Kolkata) Burma India | Flight Record |
| July 1945 | APO 465 Calcutta (Kolkata) Burma India | Flight Record |
| August 1945 | APO 465 Calcutta (Kolkata) Burma India | Flight Record |
| September 1945 | APO 465 Calcutta (Kolkata) Burma India | Flight Record |
