"This will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." ---Elmer Davis, Director of the Office of War Information, World War II
•Part 2
The brave grew up here, in Washington Parish.
Cpl. Marvin Jacob Magee, Jr. (1922 - 2003) was the sole survivor on July 30, 1944, in a crash in the vicinity of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge in Florida.
The young airman, a native of Sunny Hill, was one of ten U. S. Army airmen in a heavy bomber flying over the historic refuge for migratory birds when, as my father (an Army liaison pilot) used to say, "all hell broke loose."
That summer day, thirteen B-17s of the 325th Bomber Squadron had departed Avon Park Army Airfield on a routine mission over the areas of Tallahassee, Florida, and Waycross, Georgia. Wicked weather near Tallahassee caused the bombers to separate, in search of safer skies. But the B-17 Flying Fortress that Magee was aboard did not make it to safety. The bomber broke apart, with its parts falling into St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge. A somber scene. Death simmering in the swamp. But Marvin J. Magee parachuted to safety, walking away with minor injuries.
It wasn't his time. Nine of his comrades were not so fortunate. Perishing in the crash were 2nd Lt. Gordon E. Thrall, the pilot, of Connecticut; 2nd Lt. Donald Price of Nevada; 2nd Lt. John W. Smidt of North Carolina; 2nd Lt. Charles W. Shannon of Massachusetts; Cpl. James Dracopoulos of Rhode Island; Cpl. Arthur L. Davis of California; Pvt. William Gehman of New Jersey; Pvt. Albert C. Fries of Illinois; and Pvt. Horace W. Newton of Texas. The announcement was made by Col. Clint T. Johnson, the commanding officer at the Avon Park Army air field according to the AP news article dated August 1, 1944, one of my sources.
As detailed in part on the plaque (sponsored by the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, the Friends of St. Marks Wildlife Refuge, and the Florida Department of State and also one of my sources) at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge designating the Florida Heritage Site and memorializing the devastating crash, "One crewmember parachuted to safety before the crash. Pvt. Marvin J. Magee, the sole survivor, wandered through thick swamps in the summer heat before finding Abel Strickland on his horse. Magee accepted a ride to Lighthouse Road, where he proceeded to the Coast Guard station at the St. Marks Lighthouse. Crash crews from Dale Mabry Army Airfield in Tallahassee and the Coast Guard Station combed the crash area and found the remains of the other crew members."
I relied on my kind contact Eddie Hill in Avon Park, Florida, who unspooled the story. It was Eddie who, in 1988, found remains of the bomber, named Dozy, in the Florida swamp not far from his home. Eddie found prop blades, a piece of the wing, and one of the engines, from which the prop blades (which were barely damaged) derived.
As Eddie, a pilot in his own right, explained, "You can see why the airplane came apart in the air just from looking at this photo. Note the leading edge on left side is bent down. This was done as a result of excessive speed, above the never exceed speed for this aircraft. Once the forward part of the stabilizer is bent downward from aerodynamic forces caused by this excessive airspeed it acts as an up-lifting surface taking the control away from the pilot. The aircraft enters a dive from which no recovery is possible. As the plane gains more and more speed it simply comes apart."
It is true what they say, timing is everything. Location is also key. It was my understanding from conversing with Eddie that Magee, a radio operator, had probably just put on his parachute. And likely situated in the section right behind the wing which was the radio room, he likely just plummeted out during the storm. Magee had sufficient time to open his chute. As Eddie stated, "He really was a miracle, making it to the ground." God saw Marvin J. Magee home.
The son of Marvin J. Magee (1884 - 1948) and Pearl Parker Magee (1887 - 1973) of Sunny Hill, Marvin Jr., was married to Mattie Lou Griffith Magee. According to their niece Becky Robinson, the daughter of Marvin's brother Frank Magee, the air base called Mattie "Lou" and informed her that her husband, known to the family as "Toby," was missing. Becky said that her Uncle Toby still had the parachute as he walked toward safety and rescue. With it being his second airplane crash, the military discharged Magee after the incident. And he never flew again nor did his wife Lou. I don't think anyone could blame them.
The couple shared a wonderful life together, some of it in Baton Rouge, where they had family and friends. While Magee didn't talk about the incident, he deserves to be honored for his service and bravery. Living another fifty-nine years, he was indeed a miracle, and certainly in the right place at the right time.
