Truman H. Landon
General
(1905-1986)
Early Life
Truman Hempel Landon was born on February 11, 1905, in Maryville, Missouri, to Perry and Helene Landon. Landon’s family later moved to Carlinville, Illinois, where he graduated from high school in 1922. After attending Blackburn College, he attended West Point in 1924 and graduated in 1928, at which time he was promoted to second lieutenant. Between 1928 and 1930, Landon went through advanced flight training at Kelly Air Field in Texas. Landon went on to be a flight instructor in the Panama Canal Zone until 1939 when he was made the commander of the 38th Reconnaissance Squadron.
Image From U.S. Air Force
Flight into History
After being put in command of the 38th, Landon took part in one of the first flights of B-17s to Hickam Field in Hawaii in early 1941. On December 7, 1941, Landon was on such a flight to Hickam when he flew right into the ongoing attack on Pearl Harbor. Because of this, he was unable to land his aircraft, which was unarmed and low on fuel, both due to his 14-hour long trip from California. With few options, Landon chose to continue his path and land on the smoke covered Hickam Field during the assault. He was later honored with a Silver Star Medal for courage. This event would later be dramatized in the famous movie Tora! Tora! Tora!, where Landon is portrayed by Norman Alden.
Hickam Field during the Attack on Pearl Harbor
Image from U.S. National Archives
Second World War and Military Career
During the Second World War, Landon held many positions of seniority across the pacific front, starting as the Assistant Chief of Staff at Hickam Field and then being the Assistant Chief of Operations and Training Fort George, Washington. In 1943 he became commanding officer and then commanding general of the 7th Bomber Command, which operated from Hickam Field, Funafuti, Tarawa, and Kwajalein Atolls, and finally the island of Saipan. After the war, Landon studied and then taught at the Army and Navy Staff College. He then worked within the Air Force Headquarters in Washington D.C. in multiple positions. Between 1951 and 1958, Landon worked overseas in Europe and the Caribbean as Commander of US Air Forces in both regions. Landon was promoted to 4-star general on June 28,1961, and he continued to work in the U.S. Air Force until retiring on July 1,1963. Over two decades later, on January 27, 1986, Truman Hempel Landon died at age 80 in San Antonio, Texas.
Resources
-
Stairway of Stars Booklet, Nodaway County Historical Society
​