LtC Walter Woodrow Farmer
KIA mission #116 - 6 Aug 44
Cemetery plot at Normandy American Cemetery
(Photos courtesy of George and Roz Barber)
Walter Woodrow Farmer
USMA West Point graduate No. 11346
Class of 1939
Died 6 August 1944 in Drucourt, France (KIA).
Aged 28 years.
Interment: Normandy American Cemetery. St Laurent-sur-Mer, France
Walter Woodrow Farmer was born in Dubach, Louisiana on 1 January
1916. His parents were Walter E. and Bertha W. Farmer of Ruston,
Louisiana.
Walt attended Ruston High School, Ruston, Louisiana and graduated in
1933. From 1933 to 1935, Walt attended Louisiana Polytechnic Institute
which was located in Ruston.
Walt was appointed to the U.S. Military Academy from the 7th District,
Arkansas by Rep. Tilman B. Parks. IN early 1935 he passed the entrance
examination and entered in June.
Walt was an outstanding cadet at West Point. He graduated number 12 in
the Class of 1939 (out of 456) and was a cadet lieutenant in B Company.
He was a "star man" during his second and first class years. His
athletic record included gymnastics in 1936, lacrosse in 1936 and 1937,
wrestling in 1938 and 1939, and pentathlon in 1939. He won an "A" in
wrestling in 1938 and 1939, and he was Corps Champ in the 175 pound
class in 1938. Walt's other activities included Ring Committee, Camera
Club, and Officer, First Class Club.
In the summer of 1939, soon after graduation from West Point, Walt
married Marjorie Futrell of Ruston, Louisiana. The wedding took place
in Ruston. A son, William, was born in 1942.
When Walt graduated he was commissioned in the Corps of Engineers, but
he requested flying training in the Air Corps. He attended Primary
Flying School at Dallas, Texas from September to December 1939, and
Basic and Advanced Flying Schools at Randolph and Kelly Fields, San
Antonio, Texas from January to June 1940. With his West Point
classmates he was in flying school class 40-C.
After graduation from Advanced Flying School, Walt was assigned as an instructor with the Training Command. Over the next three years he was assigned to a number of training airfields, including Randolph Field and the airfields at Uvalde and Lubbock, Texas. He was the commanding officer at Uvalde. In mid-1943, he went to Mather Field, California for transition to twin-engine bombers and then was assigned to the 416th Bomb Group, which was based at Lake Charles, Louisiana, and later at Laurel, Mississippi. In February 1944, Walt went with the 416th to Wethersfield Air Base in the U.K. for combat duty in the Ninth Air Force.
In the U.K., Walt was Group Operations Officer of the 416th. He flew combat missions in A-20 aircraft, with which the group was equipped, and was awarded four Air Medals. Many of his missions were in support of the Normandy landings. On a bombing mission to Drucourt, France, on 6 August 1944, Walt's aircraft was shot down by enemy anti-aircraft fire. His bombardier and navigator were able to bail out, but Walt was unable to get out of the aircraft and was killed. His rank at that time was lieutenant colonel. he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. Walt is interred at the Normandy American Cemetery, St. Laurent-Sur-Mer, France.
Walt's untimely death ended a most promising career. His academic and
athletic achievements as a cadet at West Point, his demonstrated
leadership qualities, his love of flying, and his dedication to the Air
Corps would surely have made him a successful officer in the post-war
Air Force.
Major General Joseph L. Dickman (USAF, Retired). Classmate (author of the obituary)
"Goin' Home" courtesy of the U.S. Air Force Band