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Death Notice - Tulsa World (4/22/05, A14) - McAlester, OK
Age: 22, WWII Army Pilot; Funeral Services: Brumley-Mills Funeral Home.
Obituary - McAlester News Capital, Apr. 22, 2005
1st Lt. John Strother Hancock A memorial service with full military
honors will be held for First Lieutenant John Strother Hancock at 1:00
p.m. Saturday, April 23, 2005 at Memory Gardens Cemetery. Rev. Clint
Pope, Pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Hartshorne will officiate.
Family visitation will be Friday from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Funeral
arrangements are under the direction of Brumley-Mills Funeral Home,
McAlester. John was born April 23, 1920 in Lehigh, Oklahoma to John
Strother and Rhobena (Winn) Hancock. He died November 1, 1942 in Milau
Bay, Papua New Guinea in a bombing raid. At a young age, John's parents
died leaving him and his siblings to be raised by their aunt Lillian
Larmour and grandmother Elizabeth Winn in Haileyville, Oklahoma. Growing
up they lived in a two story house located on the old 270 Highway in
Haileyville. The house still stands today. He was a member of First
Baptist Church, Haileyville. He attended school at Haileyville and
graduated in 1937. He went on to college and graduated in 1939 from
Eastern Oklahoma A&M College in Wilburton, Oklahoma. Upon graduating
from college, John enlisted in the United States Army Air Corp. He
received his flight training at Kelly Field in Texas and on May 29, 1941
graduated with a pilot's diploma. He then went on to obtain additional
flight training from Randolph Field in San Antonio, Texas, known at that
time as "The West Point of the Air." November 1, 1941 he was presented a
gold I.D. bracelet engraved with his name on the back and pilots wings
on the front. He always wore the bracelet. John was a decorated pilot
who flew B-17 Bombers and a soldier who proudly served his country
during World War II. He held the rank of First Lieutenant of the 30th
Bombardment Group of the U.S. Army Air Corp. On December 7, 1941, the
day the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, John had been given orders to
return to the States to escort a group of planes back to Hickam Field.
When hearing the news, he returned to his home base of Hickam Field
ready to do what was needed of him. On October 5, 1942 his squadron was
assigned to protect New Guinea from Japanese invasion. While flying over
Rabul that day, one of the planes in his group was damaged and he helped
to safely maneuver the damaged plane and crew back to their home base.
For this, Hancock was awarded the Oak Leaf Cluster for his heroism. On
November 1, 1942 pilot First Lieutenant John S. Hancock, co-pilot Second
Lieutenant James Carver and crewman Robert H. Burns, Edward R. Cipriani,
Raymond Maxwewll, Curtis T. Longenberger and Hiram D. Wilkinson were on
a night bombing raid over the area of Faisi in the Soloman Islands, when
their plane was caught in enemy search lights and began receiving heavy
anti-aircraft fire. That night the plane disappeared. Several attempts
were made by the Army to locate the plane. No wreckage or evidence of
the plane were ever found. In December 1942 his family was notified that
he was missing in action. In the late 1940's, after talking with the
Army, John's aunt Lillian Larmour declared him dead. In the mid sixties
attempts were made again to try to locate the plane and crew, but still
nothing was found. The Army closed the case. In April 2001, the Mortuary
and Casualty Department of the United States Army notified John's
brother, Walter R. Hancock that the B-17 wreckage had been located near
the village of Milau Bay, Papua New Guinea along with bone fragments,
personal effects and a gold I.D. bracelet. DNA was obtained from Walter
to help in the identification of the remains. Walter passed away on
October 18, 2001 having the peace in knowing his brother had been found
and would soon be returning home. Confirmation of the identification was
given to his sister-in-law Marian Hancock, niece Debbie Fuller and
nephew John Hancock on December 21, 2004. They received the gold I.D.
bracelet and a full report as to what happened some 62 years earlier.
Johnnie, as his family knew him, is now home and will be laid to rest in
Memory Gardens Cemetery near his brother Walter. Please come and be a
part of the celebration of his life and to honor the laying to rest of
our brother, uncle, cousin, friend and World War II veteran, First
Lieutenant John Strother Hancock. A reception is being held in his honor
at Emmanuel Baptist Church located at 2625 N. Hickory in McAlester
following the services. He is survived by his sister-in-law, Marian
Hancock, a niece and her husband, Debbie & David Fuller, a nephew and
wife, John & Brenda Hancock. Also great-nephews, Bryan and Thomas Fuller
and Jared Hancock, great niece, Kari Hancock, all of McAlester as well
as several cousins. He is preceded in death by his parents,
grandparents, Green Rice Hancock and grandmother Hancock, grandfather,
William Marion and Elizabeth E. Medlin Winn, aunt Lillian Winn Larmour,
sister, Blanche Winn Hancock Montgomery, brothers, Marion Hancock and
Walter Rice Hancock, cousins, Jack, Donald, Joe and Paul Larmour.
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