Earl Doggett – War Hero

MENU OF EARL DOGGETT PAGES ON THIS SITE (linked subpages)

This introductory page  (Read below)

1. Earl’s  Last Days Detailed (From book: A Reason to Live)

2. Earl’s Flight Crew & Planes

3. Earl’s Official Military Data by Sandy Wilson

4. Second Air Division Memorial Library visit by Rachel, English friend of Bonnie Doggett Darby reported by Bonnie

5. Earl’s Military Diary

6. Book: Nine Yanks and a Jerk by Scott Culver

7. Letter from Earle Robert Metcalf on name of plane: “Nine Yanks and a Jerk” verifying what I expected, that with 9 northerners, the one guy from Arkansas would be the jerk. Southerners have trouble gaining respect, but the letter Metcalf quotes also tells about how the plane flew over the Doggett farm near Warren, so that is cool!  🙂

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I am sharing items that can mean a lot to the memory of Earl, the 4-years-younger brother of my Dad, Lloyd Everett Doggett.

Below is a short poem “My Lost Brother” by his sister Agnes after they were told he was “missing in action.” It reflects the confusion and hope of a “lost in action” message.

Then there are 7 separate sub-pages to this Earl Doggett history in the menu above explained or described below:

First is a remarkable story of the days just prior to his death as written by an army buddy in the 445th Bombing Group of the 8th Air Force of the U.S. Army. John Harold Robinson of Memphis survived the war and in later years wrote his war memoirs in a book titled A Reason to Live (Amazon.com link). When I first read this account while sitting in Tennessee State Library and Archives, I was almost overcome by emotion, even though I had heard most of my life how he died. The book is out-of-print, but I managed to find a copy from the author who was still living in the 1990’s. You can still get a copy on Amazon.com. I treasure mine and especially the stories of Earl. I hope you are inspired by these stories too. This is the first sub-page about Earl.

Second menu item below that I am adding photos and comments on his flight crew and planes, some shared by people unrelated to our family who have an interest in this bombing group, usually because they are related to someone else in the group. I even got a note from the grandson of the Army Photographer who made most of the photos!  🙂

Third menu item above is a page with the official military record research data provided by cousin Sandy Wilson. It is fun to see this story grow right here on the web. Feel free to copy or use any of it in your research if it can help you. And do share additional information or photos you may have and let me know if you want it posted here. See “Contact” to email or otherwise contact me.

Fourth, in 2018, my sister Bonnie did research through her friend in England who got more information from her visit to the USAAF Second Division Memorial Library near the landing strip at Tibenham.

Fifth, in 2014 I was given a photocopy of someone’s typing of Earl’s War Diary which gives even more details and shows how much he enjoyed the adventure of travel related to his work. His descriptions of places visited reminded me of myself as I love to see and experience new places. All together, we have a pretty remarkable record of Earl’s short life and somewhat brief military experience. This diary is also on a separate page.

The Sixth is another page telling about a newer book by Scott Culver, Nine Yanks and a Jerk which tells all about Earl’s main plane and some of what happened to it which was not the plane Earl died in. That day they flew in a similar plane called the “Billy Babe.” They often moved crews around to different planes, though this was Earl’s main plane. This separate page tells all about this book with photos, a TV News interview video of the author and of course a link to where you can buy the book.  🙂

And the Seventh is the first thing I’ve seen in writing about why they nicknamed the plane “Nine Yanks and a Jerk,” though it is what I expected with 9 northerners and one southerner on the crew. But that is okay and it is fun to know that the plane did “buzz” or fly over the Doggett Farm near Warren, AR.  🙂

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