Stephen P. Pedone
On this Memorial Day, we remember and honor our fallen Pedone family member, Flight Officer Stephen Peter Pedone, who was killed in a B-24 bomber aircraft crash near Davis Monthan Airbase, Tucson, Arizona, during World War II, on 14 September 1944, while instructing a new pilot in how to fly the B-24 bomber. He was 21 years old. I was born two and a half months later, on 30 November 1944, and was named Stephen Peter Pedone in honor of my uncle.
Like his older brother, Vito, Stephen had been a student at North Carolina State College, Raleigh, NC, studying Aeronautical Engineering. Stephen would also leave college and volunteer to join the Aviation Cadet Program, to become a pilot and officer in the U.S. Army Air Force. Following basic training and pilot training, he was assigned to learn to fly the new four-engine B-24 heavy bomber, our most advanced bomber in 1943. He had orders to be assigned to the China-Burma theater of operations with the Flying Tigers. However, the Air Training Command needed exceptionally qualified instructor pilots to train many more B-24 pilots and wanted Stephen to remain as an instructor pilot.
Stephen was instructing a new pilot, who was flying the aircraft. They were flying at a low altitude and a slow speed, on final approach preparing to land, when they had a major electrical system failure, causing all four engines to stop running. The B-24 has a narrow wing, designed for speed and efficiency, but does not glide well at slow speed. To maintain speed to attempt a crash landing, the pilot must lower the noise of the aircraft, then attempt to flair the dive to level-off the aircraft before contacting the ground. Since they were so low there was little chance to avoid a major crash. They did not make it. As the front nose of the aircraft struck the ground it disintegrated. Stephen, the new pilot, and a flight engineer were killed instantly. A rear gunner was severely injured but survived.
Stephen was buried at a cemetery in Mount Vernon, NY, near his parent's home. His gravestone had a large hand-carved detailed B-24 aircraft striking a tree. In 1969, Stephen was moved to Arlington National Cemetery. The B-24 on his special gravestone had to be simplified to qualify to be placed in Arlington.
Flight Officer Stephen Peter Pedone, U.S. Army Air Force, answered the call to service, in time of war, and made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedom. We are forever grateful to him and will always remember him.
We honor his memory, service, and sacrifice to our nation on this Memorial Day, 2025.
