David Lehtonen
Bio
David Lehtonen was born in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, on November 19, 1933. He joined the United States Army National Guard for one year and later enlisted in the United States Air Force in January of 1952. One the day of his arrival in Seoul, Korea, on December 13, 1952, his unit was threatened with an air raid. He describes taking part in fifty missions as a radio operator on the B26, collecting weather reports for future mission plans. Due to the essential role he played in one of these missions, he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. He shares his experience returning back to Korea during the 1970’s while working for Motorola and his thoughts on the tremendous developments in Korea.
Video Clips
The Critical Role of the B-26 Missions
David Lehtonen recalls flying in B-26s as a radio operator. He shares a map of some mission routes and explains how the information gathered was critical for the planning of F-86 jet fighter strikes. He describes the mission that earned him the Distinguished Flying Cross.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3paoZpC9Hvc&start=851&end=1116
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/dave-lehtonen#clip-1
Embed:
Images of Experiences
David Lehtonen shares images of his experiences during the war. He recounts when he switched duties and the individual who took his place was overtaken by guerillas. While continuing to look at images, he offers insight into how it felt being thrown around the back of the B28 airplane during missions. Using maps to identify different types of missions, he reflects on one dangerous mission close to Shanghai.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3paoZpC9Hvc&start=2491&end=2683
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/dave-lehtonen#clip-2
Embed:
Two Close Calls
David Lehtonen recounts two missions that put him a little too close to enemy jets. While on a day mission, he remembers radar alerting the crew that three bogies were converging on their position. He describes the dramatic maneuvers the pilot made to avoid the bogies and then the surprise of enemy ground fire. He recalls another instance where the crew encountered an enemy jet that they were lucky enough to avoid.
Share YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3paoZpC9Hvc&start=1270&end=1505
Share from this page:
https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/dave-lehtonen#clip-3
Embed:
Photos
