Quinten Quinn

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Biography

First Lieutenant Quinten Quinn served in the United States Army Air Forces in World War II
Service started: 8 Feb 1944
Unit(s): India-Burma, Central Burma, and China
Service ended: 25 Jul 1945

Quinten Quinn was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States).

Quinten was the youngest of seven children and grew up on a stock farm near Palmer, Iowa. There he helped his father grow corn, oats and hay and raise thoroughbred Hereford cattle, hogs, dairy cows and chickens. He recalled the substantial work that a stock farm required year round: growing crops in the warm season and getting stored feed from the silo to the livestock in the cold season. He also recalled anecdotes such as trapping pocket gophers to collect a five cent bounty from Pocahontas County.

In the fall of 1941 Quinten picked 2800 bushels of corn in 28 days working for the Peterson brothers. That helped earn the money Quinten needed to move to California and attend the Western Air College. He then worked in the North American Aviation factory assembling wings for P-51 Mustangs.

In 1943 he volunteered to serve in World War II. After taking a test administered by the recruiters, despite not having a college degree, he was commissioned as an officer in the Army Air Corps and was flight trained in B-25 Mitchell bombers. Upon completing flight training his unit’s twin engine flying skills were demanded in the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations where they flew C-47 Skytrains. Their bases were in Sylhet and Dinjan in Upper Assam India where they flew supplies into forward bases in Burma and flew air drop missions supporting troops in the bush. He also flew two missions over “The Hump” to transport Chinese troops to Kunming, China.

During his time in the service, Quinten was awarded four medals (photo):

• World War II Victory Medal, which is awarded to all who served in World War II.
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, which was awarded to all that served in the Pacific Theater
  between 1941 and 1945. (4 citations)
• Air Medal, which is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
  (6 citations)
• Distinguished Flying Cross, which is awarded for heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight. (4 citations)

The citation awarding the Third Oak Leaf to the Distinguished Flying Cross said the award was:

...for extraordinary achievement while participating in operational flights totaling more than nine hundred hours in unarmed, heavily loaded transport airplanes, during which exposure to enemy fire was probable and expected. During the periods indicated, they have completed flights from bases in Upper Assam, providing food, clothing, mail, medicinal supplies, and material to our forward elements, and to those of our Indian, British and Chinese Allies in the hills and mountains of Burma. Undaunted by the hazards faced regularly and continuously, they performed their duties in such a manner that the highest credit is reflected upon themselves and the military forces of the United States.

After returning home, he enrolled at Iowa State University where he met his wife, Mary Kathryn Mahlstedt. Quinten supported their young family working at John Deere, Globe Machinery, and Solar Aircraft Company in Iowa, then Sundstrand Aviation in Colorado. He enjoyed a lengthy career at Sundstrand as a Manufacturing Engineer including early use of Numerical Control technology for automated machining as an NC Programmer.

Quinn was a devoted family man. He read extensively about history and current events and was known by his family for using his engineering talents to solve every day problems with everything from string to paper clips. Quinn's sense of humor and his ability to recall verses from folk tunes such as Down Went McGinty, Brian O’Lynn and Nickety, Nackety, Now Now Now impressed and entertained his family.

Quinten is mentioned in Greener Pastures by Patrick Quinn.

Sources

• Personal recollections of Quinten Quinn, collected by his son, Patrick Quinn.
• "Iowa State Census, 1925," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QKQQ-VS4Y : 23 August 2016), Clinton Quinn (line 43), Pocahontas, Pocahontas, Iowa, United States; citing Iowa State Historical Department, Des Moines; FHL microfilm 1,429,493.
• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XMV6-RCP : accessed 4 November 2022), Quintin G Quincy in household of Michael J Quincy, Bellville, Pocahontas, Iowa, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 2, sheet 3B, line 95, family 69, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 673; FHL microfilm 2,340,408.
• "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KMBH-G57 : accessed 13 October 2016), Quinten Quinn in household of Mikehl Quinn, Bellville Township, Pocahontas, Iowa, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 76-2, sheet 4A, family 65, 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 1191.
• "United States World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K85Q-GPD : 5 December 2014), Quinten G Quinn, enlisted 25 Mar 1943, Los Angeles, California, 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 126323, National Archives at College Park, Maryland.
• Military Award of Third Oak Leaf Cluster to the Distiguished Flying Cross: General Orders Number 219, Tenth Air Force Headquarters, U.S. Army, 16-May-1945
• Find A Grave: Memorial #151451910
• Obituary
• Quinn, Patrick. Greener Pastures. ASIN B06X6FLTX1. Kindle, 2017 [1].