University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma, United States
James B. Morehead studied at the University of Oklahoma.
Gallery of James Morehead
University of California, Los Angeles, California, United States
James B. Morehead studied at the University of California at Los Angeles.
Gallery of James Morehead
Air War College, Montgomery, Alabama, United States
James B. Morehead studied at Air War College.
Career
Gallery of James Morehead
1942
James B. Morehead in his P40.
Gallery of James Morehead
1942
Australia
Morehead and his P-40 in Australia, June 1942
Gallery of James Morehead
2011
Petaluma Historical Museum, Petaluma, California, United States
World War II flying ace Retired Colonel James Morehead of Petaluma is greeted on the steps of the Petaluma Historical Museum, Saturday February 5, 2011 during the opening of the museum's Tribute to Aviation in which the day was dedicated to Morehead.
Gallery of James Morehead
2011
etaluma, California, United States
James Morehead at home in Pentaluma
Gallery of James Morehead
2011
Petaluma Historical Museum, Petaluma, California, United States
James Morehead in Petaluma addresses a crowd in front of the Petaluma Historical Museum.
Achievements
2011
Petaluma Historical Museum, Petaluma, California, United States
James Morehead in Petaluma salutes a crowd of well wishers in front of the Petaluma Historical Museum, Saturday February 5, 2011 in honor of his accomplishments as a fighter pilot.
Membership
Awards
Command Pilot Badge
Distinguished Service Cross with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Silver Star Medal
Distinguished Flying Cross with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Air Force Presidential Unit Citation with three Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
American Defense Service Medal with one Bronze Service Star
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal with Bronze Campaign Star
Air Force Longevity Service Award with Silver Oak Leaf Cluster
Armed Forces Reserve Medal with Bronze Hourglass Device
Petaluma Historical Museum, Petaluma, California, United States
World War II flying ace Retired Colonel James Morehead of Petaluma is greeted on the steps of the Petaluma Historical Museum, Saturday February 5, 2011 during the opening of the museum's Tribute to Aviation in which the day was dedicated to Morehead.
Petaluma Historical Museum, Petaluma, California, United States
James Morehead in Petaluma salutes a crowd of well wishers in front of the Petaluma Historical Museum, Saturday February 5, 2011 in honor of his accomplishments as a fighter pilot.
James Bruce Morehead was an American fighter pilot and flying ace during the period of World War II. He also participated in the Korean War.
Background
James B. Morehead was born on August 16, 1916, in Paoli, Oklahoma, United States to the family of a merchant and farmer Clem Walton Morehead and a teacher Ophelia James. Morehead grew up in the Oklahoma Dust Bowl amid the Depression, a "miserable" childhood he once said, but one that taught him skills that would likely save his life and the lives of others in the battle skies. He credited his experience as a youth hunting wild game to help feed his family for his success and composure as a fighter pilot.
Education
James B. Morehead studied entomology at the University of Oklahoma before moving to California, wher he studied at the University of California at Los Angeles.
Officially joining the service in August of 1940, Morehead was accepted into the Army Air Corps Cadet Program where he qualified in both the Curtiss P-36 and the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. He graduated in April 1941 from the Army Air Corps flight school and was the sole pilot trainee among 120 students to be selected for assignment to a fighter unit at Hamilton Army Airfield.
Jim Morehead was born on August 16, 1916, in Paoli, Oklahoma. He enlisted in the Oklahoma National Guard on June 10, 1934, and served until July 31, 1940, with a break in service from June 9 to August 1, 1937. He then enlisted in the Aviation Cadet Program of the United States Army Air Corps on September 5, 1940, and was commissioned a 2d Lieutenant and awarded his pilot wings at Stockton Field, California, on April 25, 1941.
Morehead’s first assignment was as a P-40 Warhawk pilot with the 70th Pursuit Squadron of the 35th Pursuit Group at Hamilton Field, California, and then deployed to Java temporarily with the 17th Pursuit Squadron, from April 1941 to March 1942, followed by service as a P-40 pilot with the 8th Pursuit Squadron of the 49th Pursuit Group in Australia from March to October 1942. During this time he was credited with the destruction of 7 enemy aircraft in aerial combat.
After returning to the United States in October 1942, Captain Morehead served as a P-38 Lightning pilot, Operations Officer, and then Commanding Officer of the 331st Fighter Squadron of the 329th Fighter Group at Van Nuys, California, from October 1942 to February 1944. Major Morehead next served as a P-38 pilot and Operations Officer for the 1st Fighter Group in Italy from April to October 1944, and during this time he was credited with the destruction of 1 enemy aircraft in aerial combat, plus 1 damaged, for a total of 8 destroyed in the air and 1 damaged during World War II.
Lieutenant Colonel Morehead served as Air Inspector with the 432nd Army Air Force Base Unit at Portland, Oregon, from December 1944 to April 1945, with the 434th Army Air Force Base Unit at Santa Rosa, California, from April to July 1945, and with the 433rd and then 488th Army Air Force Base Units at Chico, California, from July 1945 to January 1946. His next assignment was as Commanding Officer of the 488th Army Air Force Base Unit at Chico from January to May 1946, followed by service as Assistant Coordination and Compliance Officer and Assistant Executive Officer with the 482nd Army Air Force Base Unit at Merced, California, from May to November 1946. He then served with the 200th Army Air Force Base Unit at Colorado Springs, Colorado, from November 1946 until he left active duty and entered the Air Force Reserve on January 2, 1947.
Lieutenant Colonel Morehead was recalled to active duty on July 2, 1947, and then served as Assistant Operations and Training Officer for the 309th Army Air Force Base Unit at Greenville, South Carolina, from July 1947 to July 1948. His next assignment was as the Senior Air Force Instructor and Liaison Officer with the Minnesota Air National Guard, where he served with the 133rd Fighter Group from July 1948 to March 1951, and then as the Executive Officer for the 133rd Fighter Interceptor Wing at Holman Field, Minnesota, from March to May 1951. Colonel Morehead next served as Executive Officer of the 128th Fighter Interceptor Wing at Truax Field, Wisconsin, from May to December 1951, followed by attending Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, from December 1951 to July 1952.
After serving at Camp Stoneman, California, and completing F-84 Thunderjet Combat Crew Training, Colonel Morehead served as Inspector of the 474th Fighter-Bomber Wing in Korea from February to April 1953, and then as Operations Officer of the 49th Fighter-Bomber Wing in Korea from April to September 1953. He then served as Team Commander and Operations Advisor for Flight C with the Air Force Section of the Military Assistance and Advisory Group in Taiwan from September 1953 to December 1954. He served with Headquarters United States Air Force in the Pentagon from January 1955 until he left active duty and joined the Air Force Reserve on June 21, 1955, and then remained in the Air Force Reserve until his retirement on June 23, 1968.
Colonel Morehead was the author of a memoir, “In My Sights,” published in 1997.
(As a young man with uncertain prospects, Jim Morehead was...)
1997
Personality
Colonel Morehead was an avid hunter and fisher. In his living room, he showed visitors a map of the world full of red pins showing the countries where he hunted or fished, from Mongolia to Costa Rica. Dozens of stuffed trophy animals, birds and fish adorned the walls and a large bear skin rug lied on the floor.
Quotes from others about the person
"He is a great man and a true American treasure. There is no one like him. He represents everything that is good about America. He is a kind man who has seen a lot of war, and he is not jaded by his experiences." - military historian Leon Delisle.
Interests
hunting, fishing
Connections
James B. Morehead’s first marriage, to Aldine Seeger, ended in divorce. His second wife, the former Betty Bob Angerman, whom he married in 1960, died in 2011. He had two daughters from his second marriage, Myrna Moritz and Melanie Morehead, and two grandchildren. A son, James Bruce Morehead Jr., from his first marriage, died in the 1960s.
Father:
Clem Walton Morehead
Mother:
Ophelia James
ex-wife:
Aldine Seeger
Son:
James Bruce Morehead Jr.
Wife:
Betty Bob Angerman
Daughter:
Myrna Moritz
Daughter:
Melanie Morehead
References
Contemporary Authors, Vol. 166
This volume of Contemporary Authors contains biographical information on approximately 300 modern writers.