Everett W. Holstrom

Everett Wayne Holstrom (4 May 1916 – 2 December 2000) was a United States Army Air Forces bomber pilot and participant of the Doolittle Raid during World War II. He retired from the United States Air Force in 1969 at the rank of brigadier general.

Early life Born on May 4, 1916, in Cottage Grove, Oregon, he graduated from Pleasant Hill High School in 1934 and on the same year, he enlisted in the Oregon Army National Guard, where he was trained as a radio operator. At the same time, he attended Oregon State College, where he majored in forestry. He enlisted in the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Corps at Fort Lewis in Washington, in December 1939.

Military service He was awarded his pilot wings and commissioned as second lieutenant, at Kelly Field in Texas, on August 30, 1940. Holstrom was then assigned to the 95th Bomb Squadron of the 17th Bomb Group at McChord Field in Washington, where he flew the B-23 Dragons and then the B-25 Mitchells. In September 1940, the unit was transferred to Pendelton, Oregon.

World War II

Doolittle Tokyo Raiders, Crew No. 4, 95th Bomb Squadron. From left to right: Lt. Harry C. McCool, navigator; Cpl. Bert M. Jordan, flight engineer/gunner; Lt. Everett W. Holstrom, pilot; Sgt. Robert J. Stephens, bombardier; Lt. Lucian N. Youngblood, copilot. On the deck of USS Hornet, April 18, 1942 After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the 17th BG immediately began anti-submarine patrols off the coast of Oregon and Washington. According to the United States Department of War, Holstrom was credited in destroying the first Japanese submarine off the mouth of Columbia River on December 25, 1941, although post-war records of both the US and Japanese revealed no confirmation of a lost submarine.

After the raid, Holstrom was assigned in the China-Burma-India Theater, where he flew missions as a B-25 pilot with the 11th Bomb Squadron of the 341st Bomb Group in India from April 1942 to January 1943. He was assigned as commander of the 11th BS from January to May 1943, before returning to the United States in June 1943. He took part in the war bond sales across the United States. Until the end of World War II, he was assigned to variety of stateside assignments. the others are Jimmy Doolittle, John A. Hilger, David M. Jones, and Richard A. Knobloch.

Later life Holstrom was married to Harriet Holstrom, née Fisher (1920–2015) on August 30, 1941. The couple had five children, and numerous grand and great-grandchildren.

He died on December 2, 2000, at the age of 84. He was cremated and his ashes were interred at Arlington National Cemetery.

Awards and decorations His awards include: