FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: James Swett ~ 06 January 2020

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

James E. Swett

Info from this website.

           

James Elms Swett (June 15, 1920 – January 18, 2009) was a United States Marine Corps fighter pilot and ace[1] during World War II. He was awarded the United States' highest military decoration— the Medal of Honor — for actions while a division flight leader in VMF-221 over Guadalcanal on April 7, 1943.

Subsequently he downed a total of 15.5 enemy aircraft during the war.

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Biography

Born on June 15, 1920 in Seattle, Washington, James E. Swett graduated from San Mateo High School, San Mateo, California, and enrolled at the College of San Mateo in 1939. He earned a private pilot’s license, which amounted to 450 more hours of flying than he received during his Navy flight training. He enlisted in the U.S. Naval Reserve as a seaman second class on August 26, 1941, and started flight training in September.


 Service in World War II

In early 1942, he completed flight training and finished in the top ten percent of his class. He was given the option to choose between a commission in the Marine Corps or the Navy, and he chose the Marine Corps. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, on April 1, 1942. He continued his advanced flight training, first at Quantico, Virginia, then Lake Michigan, became carrier qualified aboard the USS Wolverine, and finally received his wings at San Diego, California. In December, 1942, he shipped out to the Southwest Pacific, and when he arrived at Guadalcanal and was assigned to VMF-221, which was part of Marine Air Group 12.

Medal of Honor action

On April 7, 1943, on his first combat mission, Swett both became an ace and acted with such "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty" that he would be awarded the Medal of Honor.

His first mission was as a division leader on a combat air patrol over the Russell Islands early on the morning of April 7 in expectation of a large Japanese air attack. Landing to refuel, the four plane division of F4F Wildcats he was leading was scrambled after other aircraft reported 150 planes approaching Ironbottom Sound, and intercepted a large formation of Japanese Aichi D3A dive bombers attacking Tulagi harbor.

When the fight became a general melee, Swett pursued three Vals diving on the harbor. After shooting down two, and while taken under fire from the rear gunner of the third, the left wing of his F4F was holed by U.S. antiaircraft fire directed at the Japanese. Despite this he shot down the third Val and turned toward a second formation of six Vals leaving the area.

Swett repeatly attacked the line of dive bombers, downing each in turn with short bursts. He brought down four and was attacking a fifth when his ammunition was depleted and he had his cockpit shot up by return fire. Wounded, he decided to ditch his damaged fighter off the coast of Florida Island, after it became clear that his oil cooler had been hit and he would not make it back to base. After a few seconds of further flight, his engine seized, and despite initially being trapped in his cockpit, Swett extricated himself and was subsequently rescued in Tulagi harbor after crash-landing his Wildcat. This feat made the 22-year old Marine aviator an ace on his first combat mission.

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 Further combat service

After a short stay in a Naval hospital, Swett returned to Guadalcanal and learned that Admiral Marc Mitscher had nominated him for the Medal of Honor. After a short rest in Australia, Swett checked out in the Vought F4U Corsair to which VMF-221 was converting and moved to a new base in the Russells. Promoted to captain, Swett covered the Rendova landings on June 30, 1943, adding 2 Mitsubishi G4M Betty medium bombers to his score and sharing the downing of a Mitsubishi A6M Zero.

Eleven days later, near the island of New Georgia, Swett knocked down two more Bettys. Seeing his wingman's Corsair under attack, he also shot down a Zero. However, he failed to see a second Zero and was himself shot down. He was rescued by indigious tribal members in a canoe and traveled by 10-man canoe for several hours to an Australian coast watcher's location. A PBY flying boat returned Swett to the Russells. In October 1943, over the major Japanese airbase at Kahili, Bougainville, Swett added one confirmed Zero and one probable, but lost his wingman. In November, he added to his list of kills 2 more Vals and a possible Kawasaki Ki-61 Tony, a new Japanese fighter.

On December 11, Swett returned to the United States on a Dutch motor ship, arriving in San Francisco on New Year's Eve. After less than 24 hours, he shipped out to San Diego, where he was granted 30 days leave and married Lois Anderson, his long time sweetheart. Swett was then transferred to NAS Santa Barbara, California, where he worked up a newly manned VMF 221 in the Corsair.

Now carrier-qualified and assigned to the USS Bunker Hill, Swett flew 2 strikes over Japan and then supported the landings at Iwo Jima and the operations on Okinawa. On May 11, 1945, he shot down a Yokosuka D4Y Judy kamikaze he described as a "sitting duck". Swett watched from the air as the Bunker Hill was struck by two kamikazes, causing such damage that he was forced to land on another carrier.

Swett later returned to the States and was assigned to MCAS El Toro, California, where he began to train for Operation Olympic, the invasion of Japan. At war's end, VMF 221 was second in aerial victories among Marines Corps squadrons with 185 enemy planes downed. Swett's combat record includes had 103 combat missions, 15.5 confirmed victories and 4 probables. He earned 2 Purple Hearts, eight Distinguished Flying Crosses, and the Medal of Honor.

Post-war service

Swett commanded VMF-141 flying Corsairs at NAS Alameda, California, following the end of World War II. After the onset of the Korean War his squadron was deployed to Korea, but he was left behind because the Navy thought putting a Medal of Honor recipient in combat was too risky. Swett left active duty and continued service in the Marine Corps Reserve, retiring in 1970 in the rank of colonel.

He worked in his father's company in San Francisco, making marine pumps and turbines. In 1960, after his father's death, Swett took over the company and ran it for 23 years, before passing it on to his son. In retirement, he became a frequent speaker at schools, where he shared his strong feelings about the values of respect and responsibility. In 2006, Swett's Medal of Honor action was recreated using computer graphics for The History Channel series Dogfights and Swett himself provided commentary. The episode first aired on November 24, 2006.  Swett moved to Redding, California in 2007 where he died, January 18, 2009, in a Redding hospital from heart failure after a lengthy illness.

The President of the United States takes pleasure in presenting the MEDAL OF HONOR to

FIRST LIEUTENANT JAMES E. SWETT
UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS RESERVE

for service as set forth in the following CITATION:

    For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty, as a division leader in Marine Fighting Squadron TWO TWENTY-ONE in action against enemy Japanese aerial forces in the Solomon Islands Area, April 7, 1943. In a daring flight to intercept a wave of 150 Japanese planes, First Lieutenant Swett unhesitatingly hurled his four-plane division into action against a formation of fifteen enemy bombers and during his dive personally exploded three hostile planes in mid-air with accurate and deadly fire. Although separated from his division while clearing the heavy concentration of anti-aircraft fire, he boldly attacked six enemy bombers, engaged the first four in turn, and unaided, shot them down in flames. Exhausting his ammunition as he closed the fifth Japanese bomber, he relentlessly drove his attack against terrific opposition which partially disabled his engine, shattered the windscreen and slashed his face. In spite of this, he brought his battered plane down with skillful precision in the water off Tulagi without further injury. The superb airmanship and tenacious fighting spirit which enabled First Lieutenant Swett to destroy seven enemy bombers in a single flight were in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission!

[radu]

Eddie had a lot of photos he took when he travelled around on leave. Gorgeous countryside and the towns and villages he went to were so pretty. I’d love to live somewhere that looks like that ..... but has milder winters. :-)

[Kathy in Alaska]

[Kathy in Alaska]

w h !!

my.....#50!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

LOL! Must be....it’s cold out.

[E.G.C.]

((LOL))Well, just barely.

Gizmo was so anxious to get to someone who was at our normal spot that he wanted to run all the way to the spot and of course I didn't have the energy to do that. Thankfully the retractable leash worked and didn't break or else I never would have got him back.

He did find some dirty spots to roll over.

We had a great time.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good night, my. Thanks for helping honor our military, and thank you for your service to our country.

[radu]

LOL! If things keep up the way they’re going, we’ll need an ark before long. We’ve had 7 inches of rain the past week and they predict another 3.5 inches next weekend.
Last Feb., we had 15 inches for the month and the whole area had lakes and ponds where there normally isn’t any water. We’re getting a good start on a repeat and reeeeeeally don’t want it.

[Kathy in Alaska]

No snowflakes on my side of town...yet.

[radu]

LOL! Gots ta give da Giz credit for doing his part to keep you in shape. He’s a handful to keep up with at times.
Sounds like he had a grand time since he got to roll in some dirty spots.

[radu]

They might not be snowflakes. They might be itty bitty bits of frozen cloud. The cloud bank is hovering just above the roof tops at the airport. The cam is set up high and when it scans past a light on a pole, you can see the stuff flitting by. Could be bits of the bottom of the clouds.

A plane took off a little earlier and it was barely off the ground when it disappeared from sight. Like it disappeared into the Twilight Zone. The whole scene has a creepy look to it tonight. Creepy but pretty.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good morning, E...((HUGS))...did you and Gizmo have a fun day? Tall grass? Rocks? Tree stumps? Tangled leash?

You guys have a great Monday.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Lots of layers...it can be done, especially if one is younger. Us older folks...too cold for me. d:o)

[luvie]

I was going to show you a picture of where we lived, but I couldn't find the picture in all my stuff....but then I just remembered where I had stored it. LOL! It was in a small village up on a hill and we lived in the upstairs apartment [the dormer windows on the roof were our living room] of a house owned by a lady who owned a shoe factory. It was a lovely setting. Lots of stairs to climb to get to the apartment.. Lousy picture, because I took a picture of a picture. Anyway....

And now, I'd better go. I'm really sleepy. See ya tomorrow!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Ashlie is coming over tomorrow evening to visit and leave on the red eye for Hawaii with her mom. Then AJ is coming about 9:30p. No details, but I assume he will leave to go back to Prudhoe Bay.

You think cold....

[radu]

I’d need enough layers I wouldn’t be able to move. LOL! I start getting uncomfortable if it gets below 50 degrees. It gets below freezing, I don’t want to go out, though I do it.
We’ve had winters when it got down to zero at night with single-digit highs for a short period and it was misery if I had to go anywhere.

I’m not cut out for life any farther north than we live. I’d stay holed up as much as possible during winter and that would be a drag.

But the same can be said for summer. Living any farther south wouldn’t be good. Too hot. Don’t care for extremes either way.

[radu]

What a neat house! I’ll bet the view was awesome.
I guess it kept you in shape going up and down all the stairs. LOL!

Good night, sleep well.

[radu]

Yoicks! Talk about a temperature change! From AK to HI. She and her mom are going to be ready for those nice warm Hawaiian temps.

It’s gonna hurt AJ to hit Prudhoe Bay. That’s a temperature change in the wrong direction. OUCH!!!!!!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

And I must work in the morning, so I am off to bed as well.

Rest well when you get there.

[radu]

Yes, you have a busy day ahead and need a good night’s sleep.
I’m getting ready to do the same as soon as the cat stuff is dealt with. That takes a little while. LOL!

Sleep well.

[beachn4fun]

since no one’s awake:

MINE