B-24 Liberator Airplane Jamaica's Connection to Harrison

Last week we published an article about V-E Day and Harrison’s World War II Monument.  One of the names on the monument was Augustus R. Feeley.  Feeley a resident of Harrison enlisted on January 22, 1943 in Newark NJ for the United States Armed Forces. He was 19 years old at the time of his enlistment.  He listed his residence as 6 Davis Avenue, Harrison NJ. 

Feeley served in the United States Air Force with the 466^th Bombardment Group specifically in its operational squadron the 785^th Bomb Squadron .  He reached the rank of 2^nd Lieutenant.  In 1944, Feeley was stationed at the Attlebridge Air Field in Britain. 

B-24 Liberator Airplane

On September 25, 1944, Feeley was the Navigator on a B-24 Airplane that had a bombing mission over France when it was shot down.  

The six crew members of the B-24 Liberator Airplane named “Jamaica” were killed in action.  The crew members were 2^nd Lt. Pilot Joseph F. Damiani, 2^nd Lt. Co-Pilot Horace A. McElhinney, 2^nd Lt. Navigator Augustus R. Feeley, T/Sgt Engineer Raymond Hennig, Sgt Radio Operator Theodore B. Lipnicki and Sgt. Radio Operator Robert F. Kirkelie. 

2^nd Lieutenant Augustus R. Feeley was 20 years old when he was killed in action.  He was buried on April 19, 1951, in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetary in Lernay, Missouri.  It took over six years to identify and return his body to the United States for burial. 

We honor 2nd Lt. Augustus R. Feeley for his service to our country.  We reflect upon the sacrifices of our fellow Harrisonians and their families whose names are on the monuments in Harrison's Veterans Plaza in Franklin D. Roosevelt Park (aka Library Park) in Harrison. We give Thanks to all veterans for their service to our country. Their service secured our freedom today.

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Photographs courtesy of the American Air Museum in Britain.