John Howard Leahr (1920 - 2015)

Born 17 May 1920 in Ohio, United States

Ancestors

Died 27 Mar 2015 at age 94 in Ohio, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: US Black Heritage Project WikiTree [send private message] and Russell Butler [send private message]

John Leahr is a part of US Black history. Join: US Black Heritage Project Discuss: black_heritage

Biography

John Leahr was a highly decorated U.S. military pilot during World War II and subsequently serving in the Air Force for a total of 32 years. He was one of the “Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen." The Tuskegee Airmen were known for heroic combat service in support of Allied Forces in the European Theater. They served with the 332d Expeditionary Operations Group and the 477th Bombardment Group, both largely Black units of the United States Army Air Forces.

John Leahr is a Military Veteran.
Served in the United States Army Air Force 301st Fighter Squadron 1943-1946
Tuskegee Airman

John Leahr, son of Robert Leahr and Rosezelia Bradshaw, was born in 1920.^[1]

John is a Documented Original Tuskegee Airmen (DOTA). ^[2] , Prior to serving as an Airman, he attended Wilberforce University and the University of Cincinnati. This gave him the two years of college needed to become an aviation cadet and not be drafted. Moton Field was the only primary flight facility for African-American pilot candidates in the U.S. Army Air Corps (Army Air Forces) during World War II. John went on to be 1 of 27 in a class of 60 who graduated on 28 July 1943 with Class 43-G-SE and was assigned to the 301st Fighter Squadron. On that date, he received his silver wings and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt in the United States Army Air Force. He went on to become one of 450 pilots selected to fly long-distance combat missions while based at Ramitelli AFB, Italy.

During his military career, he flew over 130 missions before returning to the United States as a 1st Lt on 25 January 1945. Following his career as a Combat Pilot, he became one of Tuskegee’s 1st black flight instructors for training on multi-engine aircraft. This training prepared returning pilots to consider becoming commercial airlines pilots.

Tuskegee Airmen received Congressional Gold Metals for their service.

Tuskegee Airman Congressional Gold Medal

He died in 2015^[3][4] and is buried in Spring Grove Cemetery in Cincinnati, Ohio.^[5]

Sources

1. ↑ Ancestry Record 2238 #199971157 National Archives at St. Louis; St. Louis, Missouri; Draft Registration Cards for Ohio, 10/16/1940-03/31/1947; Record Group: Records of the Selective Service System, 147; Box: 834
2. ↑ Leahr, John H. 43-G-SE 7/28/1943 2nd Lt. 0809245 Cincinnati OH, https://www.tuskegee.edu/support-tu/tuskegee-airmen/tuskegee-airmen-pilot-listing
3. ↑ Ancestry Record 5763 #8871540 Ancestry.com and Ohio Department of Health. Ohio, U.S., Death Records, 1908-1932, 1938-2018 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010.
4. ↑ https://www.newspapers.com/clip/83436733/john-leahr-obit-2015/
5. ↑ "Find A Grave Index," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:73P9-MYZM : 17 December 2020), John Howard Leahr, ; Burial, Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, United States of America, Spring Grove Cemetery; citing record ID 192767204, Find a Grave, http://www.findagrave.com.

• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X4W3-6V9 : accessed 14 August 2021), John H Leahr in household of Robert Leahr, Cincinnati (Districts 251-291), Hamilton, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 276, sheet 1A, line 36, family 8, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1816; FHL microfilm 2,341,550.
• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KWPD-5Z2 : 14 August 2021), John Howard Leaks in household of Robert Leaks, Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 91-20, sheet 1B, line 51, family 11, 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 3187.

• "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8GS-BFM : 5 December 2014), John H Leahr, enlisted 28 Jul 1942, Patterson Field, Fairfield, Ohio, United States; citing "Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, ca. 1938-1946," database, The National Archives: Access to Archival Databases (AAD) (http://aad.archives.gov : National Archives and Records Administration, 2002); NARA NAID 1263923, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.
• https://airandspace.si.edu/support/wall-of-honor/1stlt-john-howard-leahr-usaaf
• https://www.tuskegee.edu/support-tu/tuskegee-airmen/tuskegee-airmen-pilot-listing
• Fleischman, John. Black and White Airmen: Their True History. Clarion Books, 2007.
• Profile of John H. Leahr, https://cafriseabove.org/john-h-leahr/