North High School Wall of Honor
John Wesley McDonald
Class of June, 1948
Research done by Claradell Shedd, class of 1953. PAGE IN PROGRESS
John Wesley McDonald

John graduated from North High in the June, 1948 class. His next of kin was shown as Mr. Wray K. McDonald, 700 Dailey Drive, Des Moines, IA.

John enlisted in the Iowa Air National Guard at the Des Moines Airport.?? Service number was ___________.

John Wesley McDonald
Year x Rank/Event x Status
June, 1948 x Graduated x North High School, Des Moines, IA
January, 1948-
March, 1951
x Employment x Armstrong Rubber Mfg., Company, Des Moines, IA. Inspector/tire
date x Iowa National Guard x Iowa Air National Guard; 132nd Fighter Wing; Detachment 232nd.
Note: History of unit: Ordered to active duty in 1952 at Dow AFB, ME. Assigned to the 8th Air Force. Group flew P-51 Mustangs. Composed of the 124th Fighter Squadron from the Iowa ANG, the 173rd Fighter Squadron from the Nebraska ANG, and the 174th Fighter Bomber Squadron from the Iowa ANG.
August 20, 1950 x Family x Married to JoAnn _____ at __________.
April 1, 1951 x US Air Force/Cpl x Enlisted at Des Moines Airport.
1951-1952 x US Air Force/A1C x Dow AFB; Bangor, ME. Cpl/Airman1C. 15 months. Maintenance support of P-51's and F-84's.
1952 x US Air Force x Maintenance Training at Eglin AFB, Pensacola, FL
1952 x US Air Force x Returned to Dow AFB; Bangor, ME
June 21, 1952 x US Air Force/
Airman1C
x Discharged. Mustered out at Dow AFB; Bangor, ME
1951-1968 x Employment x Armstrong Tire and Rubber, 55 years
1968 x Transferred x Armstrong Tire and Rubber Field Rep for Sears, etc. on West Coast
Present x Civilian x Retired and living in CA
September 6, 2011 x Deceased x California
Dow Air Force Base, Bangor, ME
132 Air Refueling Squadron (132nd ARS)
Reconstituted as the 132nd Fighter Squadron, the unit was alloted to the Maine National Guard and federally recognized at Dow Field, Bangor, ME, on February 5, 1947.

The 132nd was called to active duty as a result of the Korean war and tasked with providing air defense for the Northeast United States from Dow AFB, ME. The squadron eventually returned under state control on November 1, 1951 while remaining at Dow AFB.

The 14th was stationed at Dow from 1946-1949 and was the first unit in the USAF to receive the P-84B. Note that none of the aircraft have yet been painted with the diagonal stripes on the vertical stabilizer, which all 14th Group Thunderjets later received.
Below: Bill indicated by white arrow
Florida Maintenance Training: 1952 1952
1952 Eglin AFB, Pensacola, Florida Training: 1952
Dow AFB; Bangor, ME: 1952 1952
F-84
Worked on North American P-51 Mustang Worked on Republic F-84F

US Air Force Seal

132nd Fighter Wing

Eighth Air Force

John Wesley McDonald
Rank
132nd Maintenance Squadron
US Air Force


1951: William Charles Sodi

corect picture coming

132nd Air Refueling Squadron; Dow AFB, Bangor, ME

Iowa Air National Guard


Airman 1st Class
References
The comprehensive list of names from North High's 1893-2018 graduation classes are from Claradell Shedd's North Des Moines High School website. The names of all North High School graduates can be found online at http://www.ndmhs.com/. John Wesley McDonald's class page can be viewed at
http://www.ndmhs.com/pages/yearclass1948(2008.60).html.
09/14/11. Died 09/06/11.
Music: "Wind Beneath My Wings"
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