Leland Hedges Pennington (1922 - 1945)

Born 7 Apr 1922 in Rochester, Monroe, New York, United States

Ancestors

Husband of Lucy (Carter) Pennington — married Jan 1944 in New Orleans, Orleans, Louisiana, United States

Died 21 Apr 1945 at age 23 in Yugoslavia

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Biography

FO Leland Pennington was Missing in Action during World War II.

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

Leland Pennington was awarded the Purple Heart.

Leland Pennington is Notable.

Leland was born in 1922 in Rochester, New York, to Mack Pennington and Ailleen Hunter. His parents married in 1921 in Monroe County, New York, and in 1925, he, his mother, and his newborn sister were living with his mother's sister and brother-in-law on Alma Place in Rochester, New York.^[1]. In 1930, Leland continued to live with his Aunt Fanny and Uncle Solomon.^[2]. Solomon was a butler for George Eastman of Kodak fame, and had been left a sum of money from his employer, which gave him the funds needed to purchase his own home. It must have been a lively household, as the home was filled with Fanny's nieces and nephews with Leland living among them.

Leland's mother passed in 1932 in North Carolina, and it appears that Fanny was his guardian. When he was 16 years old, he was riding his bicycle on the street when he was struck by a truck, suffering a broken leg. His aunt had the fortitude to sue for damages and the jury awarded $1000.00 to Leland and $800.00 to Fanny.^[3]

Leland's broken leg obviously healed without issue as he was known as a star athlete while he attended Monroe's high school. Known by the nickname, Sticky, he was a driving force on the football team,^[4] president of the boxing club^[5], and he represented the high school as a Rochester and track field star.^[6] He graduated from Monroe High School in June of 1942 ^[7]

He married Lucy Carter in January of 1944 at the Tuskegee Institute in Alabama. ^[8] He was awarded his wings and commission at the Tuskegee Army Air Field in the summer of 1944. ^[9]

He was assigned to the 301st Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group at Ramitelli, Italy. On 21 April, 1945, F/O Leland was on a bomber escort mission, flying in a P-51B Mustang that he had nicknamed "Lucy Gal" after his wife. He radioed that he was returning to base without an escort. He went missing about 15 miles west of Zara, Yugoslavia. ^[10]

Leland was listed as Missing in Action and his name is inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing in the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery. His remains have never been recovered.

In 2016, he was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal

Sources

1. ↑ "New York State Census, 1925," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KS48-9RV : 8 November 2014), Leland H Pennington, Rochester Ward 06, A.D. 02, E.D. 08, Monroe, New York, United States; records extracted by Ancestry and images digitized by FamilySearch; citing p. 3, line 09, New York State Archives, Albany.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:X78Q-RVK : accessed 17 March 2021), Leland Pennington in household of Solomon Young, Rochester, Monroe, New York, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 25, sheet 7A, line 22, family 111, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 1449; FHL microfilm 2,341,184.
3. ↑ Democrat and Chronicle, 23 Dec 1938, pg 17/$1800 Awarded for Broken Leg: For a broken right leg suffered by Leland Pennington, 16, of 8 Alma Pl, in crash of his bicycle and a truck, a Supreme Court jury yesterday afternoon awarded the boy $1,000 and his aunt, Mrs. Fannie Young, at whose home he lives, $800.00. The Aunt sued for medical and other costs. The verdicts, handed up to Justice Clyde W. Knapp, were against Ward S. Doonan, 120 Garson Ave., a roofer who owned the truck and John H. Hennekey, 131 Garson Ave. Driver. The accident occurred last Aug 3 at Atlantic Avenue ane Alma Place. Pennington and his aunt were represented by Eugene H. Be Gage.
4. ↑ Democrat and Chronicle Rochester New York, 15 Nov 1941, pg 17
5. ↑ Democrat and Chronicle, 22 Dec 1940, pg 81
6. ↑ Democrat and Chronicle, 31 May 1942, pg 33.
7. ↑ Democrat and Chronicle, 25 Jun 1942, pg 21.
8. ↑ "Louisiana Parish Marriages, 1837-1957," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKJZ-CWCW : 18 February 2021), Leland H Pennington and Lucy Carter, 06 Jan 1944; citing Orleans, Louisiana, United States, various parish courthouses, Louisiana; FHL microfilm 2,320,736.
9. ↑ Democrat and Chronicle, 21 Aug 1944, pg. 16
10. ↑ MACR(Missing Air Crew Report) # 2035

• "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8LK-RX8 : 5 December 2014), Leland H Pennington, enlisted 02 Sep 1942, Rochester, New York, 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.