Thomas Erle Hadley II
Holly, Michigan
Born July 27, 1929
First Lieutenant, U.S. Air Force
Service Number 22451A
Killed in Action
Died November 9, 1951 in KoreaFirst Lieutenant Hadley was the pilot of a F-80C Shooting Star fighter interceptor with the 36th Fighter-Bomber Squadron, 8th Fighter-Bomber Group. On November 9, 1951, while on a combat mission, his aircraft received a direct hit by anti-aircraft fire, rolled over and crashed into a hill near Kangdong, North Korea. For his leadership and valor, First Lieutenant Hadley was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal and the United Nations Service Medal. His father wrote: "Thom, who gave his life in Kangdong, North Korea, that we might live in Freedom here at home. His 'Shooting Star' returned to dust, but he lives on . . . In God we trust."
Source: Korean War Honor Roll, American Battle Monuments Commission