Photo of Alfred D. Evans Jr in his Air Force Uniform following his enlistment.

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Insignia of the 56th Fighter Group

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Insignia/symbol of the 62nd Fighter Squadron

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2nd Lt. Evans enlisted in Lancaster, PA on December 27th, 1941 with the 8th US Air Force. Assigned to the 56th Fighter Group, 62nd Fighter Squadron, he was awarded the Air Medal with the Oak Leaf Cluster and achieved the rank of Second Lieutenant.

Second Lieutenant is the lowest officer rank, symbolized with a single gold bar, who oversees missions as a flight commander or deputy flight commander.

 

Initially created as the 62nd Pursuit Squadron, the 62nd was founded as part of the 56th Operations Group in January 1941 in Savannah, Georgia. They trained for wartime missions until December of that year, where they began using P-47 Thunderbolts. Renamed the 62nd Fighter Squadron, they were deployed oversees in 1943.

The Squadron began combat missions in April of that year, and flew mostly as a bomber-escort unit, attacking enemy targets in Occupied Europe. They were deployed on D-Day, where 2nd Lieutenant gave his life.

On June 7th, 1944, Evans took off in his P-47 called 'Lancaster Lil' during the D-Day invasion. He was declared missing in action the same day, and later officially announced dead. He was twenty-one years old.

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National Personnel Records Center