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0010-W2M-02/2003
Kelley C. Westbrook
Staff Sergeant
U. S. Army Air Forces
WWII US Military
Dates of Service: 10/20/1942 - 12/13/1945
Fighter Controller/ground radioman, 404th Fighter Group 508 Squadron
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"You didn't have the guidance system on planes that you got now. You had it in the seat of your pants and between your ears." So says Kelley, a ground radioman who talked many disoriented P-47 pilots back to base safely. Born in Doddridge, Arkansas, Kelley enlisted in the Army Air Force on October 20, 1942. A member of the 508th Squadron of the 404th Fighter Group, he sailed to England on a British vessel, HMS Sterling Castle. At a base near Dorchester, he often helped guide pilots returning from combat missions in Europe to find their way across the English Channel. Kelley arrived at Normandy, France on June 26, 1944. He was attached to the 555th Signal Battalion, in which he served in a radar unit to help in spot bombing. Kelley earned seven battle stars, as well as other decorations. He received his discharge at Camp Shelby, Mississippi on September 13, 1945 at the rank of staff sergeant. He spent his civilian career with the railroads.