VMF-214 reunion, California, 1945
Gift in Memory of Henry "Hank" Bourgeois
Description:
Photograph. Reunion of squadron members at the Hotel St. Francis. Caption written inside photograph folder: "Seated, Reading Clockwise from: Bourgeois, Rinebacher, Matherson, Case, [John] Begert, Sims, Dosewell, Holden, Loepch [illegible], Doc Reams, Bailey, ??, Bragdon, Little. Standing Left to Right: Johnson, Corman, Miller, Walton." San Francisco, California. 6 September 1945
Image Information
Donor:
Accession Number:
Date:
09/06/1945
Hometown:
Branch:
Theater of Service:
POW / KIA:
Collection Level:
Items from the service of First Lieutenant Henry "Hank" Bourgeois, who was a F4U Corsair pilot in Marine Fighting Squadrons 122 and 214 in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Henry Mayo Bourgeois was born on 1 September 1921 in New Orleans, Louisiana. He enlisted in the United States Marines Corps on 9 August 1941 and was sent to the Naval Air Station in Corpus Christi, Texas, after Marine training. After aviation training, Bourgeois was assigned to Marine Fighting Squadron 214 (VMF-214), also known as the Black Sheep Squadron, under the command of Gregg "Pappy" Boyington. During his time with the Black Sheep, Bourgeois participated in the Solomon Islands campaign and was also stationed in China. He remained in the Marine Corps after the war and fought in the Korean War. On 30 September 1961, Bourgeois retired as a lieutenant colonel and began a career in the aerospace industry. He died on 9 November 2009 and is buried at Maryland Veterans Cemetery in Hurlock, Maryland. Items in the collection include insignia patches, a helmet, personal gear bag, a scrapbook, military correspondence, and photographs.
Geography:
San Francisco
Latitude:
37.767
Longitude:
-122.417