Born: 1917, Indiana
Enlisted: San Francisco, CA
Service #: 3352A
Status: MIA (Presumed KIA Dec 31, 1953)
Bio: In 1935 he attended the US Military Academy at West Point, where he graduated in 1939. On June 22, 1940 he transferred to the US Army Air Corps. He began flight school in San Antonio, TX. He served with distinction during WW2 and rose to the rank of Lt. Col. by the end of the war.
He continued in the Air Force after WW2 and by 1951 he had risen to the rank of Colonel and was assigned to the 13th Bombardment Squadron (Grim Reapers), 3rd Bomb Group. He remained attached to that unit until his plane (44-34200) went missing during an interdiction mission on Jan 6, 1952. McBride and his entire flight crew were never seen again. They are presumed shot down by flak on the approach to the target.
Medals and Citations:
Purple Heart
Air Medal
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
World War II Victory Medal
Army of Occupation Medal (Posthumously Awarded in 2003)
National Defense Service Medal
Korea Service Medal
Korean Presidential Unit Citation
United Nations Service Medal (Korea)
Republic of Korea War Service Medal
References:
KORWALD
13th Bomb Squadron Association
Together We Served (Air Force) – Person ID: 138072
Korean War Remembrance Project, Key #: 19139