Damon Jesse Gause

Damon Jesse Gause (June 17, 1915 – March 9, 1944) was an American military officer who served in the United States Army Air Corps. He was captured and escaped from Bataan, then Corregidor. He served with the Ninth Air Force and flew with the Hell Hawks.

Early life and education DJ Gause was born in Fort Valley, Georgia in 1915, the son of Duff Adolph Gause (1893–1965) and Jescyne W. Gause (1895–1978). The couple had two additional sons, Wilson A. Gause (1923–2006) and John Winston Gause (1925–2005).

Gause graduated from the Martin Institute High School. After high school, he attended the University of Georgia. After one year, Gause left school to join the United States Coast Guard.

Career In the United States Coast Guard, Gause was assigned to the USCG Cutter Argo (WPC-100), where his main duty was radioman. He joined the Army Air Corps to serve in Panama after three years of service in the Coast Guard.

Following a three-year stint in the Army, he went to work in the oil fields in Colombia for the Texaco Oil Company. In 1939, Gause went back to Georgia. He again enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1941 and qualified for flight training at Kelly Field in Texas. Gause completed the training and earned his wings as an aircraft pilot and received a commission as second lieutenant. He returned to Georgia, this time at Savannah, Georgia to serve with the 27th Bombardment Group. He trained on A-24 Banshee dive-bombers.

Operation PLUM Early actions and meeting Rita Garcia On 8 December 1941 (Philippine time), shortly after the Japanese attacks on Pearl Harbor and the Philippines, Gause found a wounded Filipino civilian, Rita Garcia, in a Manila street during an air raid and carried her to a hospital. She later credited him with saving her life.

Withdrawal to Bataan By 1 January 1942, Gause and survivors of the aircraft-less 27th Bombardment Group were among the last American units to evacuate Manila. His four-truck convoy escaped the city just ahead of Japanese occupation and reached the Bataan Peninsula, where approximately 80,000 American and Filipino troops plus several thousand civilians were concentrating for a last-ditch defense.

The perilous 52-day odyssey covered 3,200 miles across the open Pacific, testing the limits of human endurance. Gause and Osborne battled raging typhoons that threatened to capsize their fragile vessel, evaded constant threats from Japanese patrols including ships, submarines, and aircraft that prowled the sea lanes, and rationed dwindling supplies of food and fresh water amid scorching sun and relentless storms. In a desperate bid for provisions, they made landfall at a remote leper colony on an uninhabited island, bartering for coconuts and whatever meager sustenance the afflicted inhabitants could spare, a stark encounter that underscored the isolation and ingenuity required for survival.

England On February 13, 1944, 1st Lieutenant Harold B. Johnston took off from Gosfield, England in a P-47 Thunderbolt for a test flight, and died when his plane crashed only nine days before the first combat mission of the Hell Hawks and the P-47s. The Hell Hawks were part of the Ninth Air Force. The combat mission occurred on February 22, 1944, with several groups taking part in an uneventful run to escort bombers. Colonel Lance Call led one group. Another group was led by Major Rockford V. Gray, with Gause as wingman. Other groups were led by Major Donald E. Hillman and Major William D. Ritchie. In preparation to support the Allied invasion of Europe, the Hell Hawks moved with the 365th Fighter Group to RAF Beaulieu, Hants, England on 5 March 1944. During a test flight on March 9, 1944, Gause was killed when his P-47 crashed near Beaulieu, England.

Personal life On October 11, 1941, Gause married Lillian Ruth Evans Carter (1921–2014) and the couple had one son Damon Gause Jr. (1943–2006). Gause was buried in the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial at Coton, South Cambridgeshire District, Cambridgeshire, England.

Awards and decorations Distinguished Service Cross Air Medal American Campaign Medal Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal World War II Victory Medal

Accolades and honors In Georgia, U.S. Highway 129 South, also known as the Major Damon Gause Bypass, is named in his honor.