Youngest American WWII ace remembered

by Dr. Roy Heidicker
4th Fighter Wing

8/22/2013 - SEYMOUR JOHNSON AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Ret. Col. Van Chandler, the youngest American pilot to have destroyed five enemy aircraft in World War II, was remembered during a ceremony and shadow box presentation here, Aug. 5, 2013.

With a heartfelt speech in which he remembered the grandfather he knew as a child, Nash presented the 4th Fighter Wing with Chandler's shadow box.

Col. Lamar Pettus, 4th FW vice commander, thanked Nash for the donation and spoke of Chandler's many accomplishments to include two Legion of Merit medals, three Distinguished Flying Crosses and 15 Air Medals. Chandler began his service nearly 70 years ago as a second lieutenant assigned to the 336th Fighter Squadron of the 4th Fighter Group in England, and flew the P-51D Mustang during WWII. One week after his arrival, Chandler experienced a mechanical malfunction and, since there were no ejection seats at the time, had to bail out by climbing out of his plane. Fortunately, he successfully parachuted to the ground and was hidden by a friendly Belgium family until rescued by British forces.

New Year's Day, 1945, Chandler shot down his fifth enemy aircraft, making him an ace. For the 4th FG, a place where you couldn't walk through the chow hall without tripping over an ace or two, this would be a pretty mundane event, except for one thing; Chandler was only 19 years old. He became the youngest American ace of WWII and destroyed another four German planes on the ground before the end of the war.

Chandler went on to serve 30 years in the Air Force, ultimately shooting down three MiG-15s in the Korean War and flying missions during the Vietnam War, in addition to his previous victories.

A very humble man, Chandler never spoke of his wartime exploits to his wife, Mary, nor showed her the medals he earned. Years after his death in 1998, Mary found his medals stored in a footlocker.

With no knowledge of what these medals were, she researched them all and had them mounted in a shadow box, something she said Chandler wouldn't have approved of because of how private he was. She wanted to, in a way, bring Chandler's career full circle by offering to donate the box to be displayed at the 336th Fighter Squadron, at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, N.C.

The shadow box will be put on permanent display where future generations of Airmen can take pride in the fact that Chandler greatly enriched the 4th FW's heritage.