Frederick Douglas Funderburg Jr. (1922 - 1945)

Born 13 Mar 1922 in Atlanta, Fulton, Georgia, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Gertrude Naomi (Bowman) Funderburg — married 12 Dec 1943 in Alabama City, Etowah, Alabama, United States

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Biography

1Lt Fred Funderburg Jr. was Missing in Action during World War II.

Fred Funderburg Jr. is a Military Veteran.
Served in the United States Army Air Force 301st Fighter Squadron 1943-1944
Tuskegee Airman flying Ace

Fred Funderburg Jr. was awarded the Purple Heart.

Fred Funderburg Jr. is Notable.

Frederick was born in 1922, the eldest son of Frederick Funderburg and Ethyl Westmoreland. ^[1]. His father was the first African American physician to practice medicine in the city of Monticello.

Frederick entered the Tuskegee Air Pilot Program, graduating in August of 1943. He married Naomi Bowman in Atlanta, and was deployed to Italy in December as part of the 301st Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group. He successfully shot down 2 Bf-109's while on a mission near Udine, Italy on the Adriatic Sea on June 9, 1944. On Oct 6, he was on a strafing mission in Greece where he witnessed 2nd Lt. Joe A Lewis's plane go up in flames.^[2]

On Dec 19, 1945, he was on an escort mission to Lanshut and Mahldorf, Germany, flying in a P-51 Mustang nicknamed Stinky III, when his plane was caught in the middle of a barrage of flak. His plane disappeared and was never recovered. He was declared Missing in Action. His name is inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing in Sicily-Rome American Cemetery.^[3]. The date listed is is Finding of Death.

Frederick's cousin, Lt. Walter D. Westmoreland, a fellow Tuskegee airman, was also a casualty of war, crashing on 13 Oct 1944 over Germany.

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K7GN-Y95 : 20 December 2019), Frederick D Funderburg in household of Frederick Funderburg, Monticello, Militia District 295, Jasper, Georgia, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 79-11, sheet 3B, line 41, family 56, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 686.
2. ↑ MACR 8980, pg. 3.
3. ↑ https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/funderburg%3Dfrederick

• https://www.honorstates.org/index.php?id=29607

Frederick D Funderburg in the U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946

U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946No Image Text-only collection Name: Frederick D Funderburg Birth Year: 1922 Race: Negro, citizen (Black) Nativity State or Country: Georgia State of Residence: Alabama County or City: Macon

Enlistment Date: 21 Feb 1943 Enlistment State: Alabama Enlistment City: Tuskegee Army Air Field Branch: Air Corps Branch Code: Air Corps Grade: Private Grade Code: Private Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law Component: Reserves - exclusive of Regular Army Reserve and Officers of the Officers Reserve Corps on active duty under the Thomason Act (Officers and Enlisted Men -- O.R.C. and E.R.C., and Nurses-Reserve Status) Source: Enlisted Reserve or Medical Administrative Corps (MAC) Officer

Education: 4 years of college Civil Occupation: Foremen, manufacturing Marital status: Single, without dependents Height: 00 Weight: 000 Source Information Ancestry.com. U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2005.

Funderburg in the World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas

World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred OverseasNo Image Text-only collection Name: Frederick D Funderburg Jr Inducted From: Georgia Rank: First Lieutenant Combat Organization: 301st Fighter Squadron 332nd Fighter Group Death Date: 30 Dec 1945 Monument: Sicily & Rome, Italy Last Known Status: Missing U.S. Awards: Purple Heart Medal Air Medal Additional Army Awards Source Information National Archives and Records Administration. World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000.

• Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 14 July 2020), memorial page for 1Lt Frederick Funderburg (1922–30 Dec 1945), Find A Grave: Memorial #56309072, citing Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial, Nettuno, Città Metropolitana di Roma Capitale, Lazio, Italy ; Maintained by Find A Grave (contributor 8) .