Crew 12, 60th Squadron - 39th Bomb Group (VH)

"The Bald Eagle" in flight

Click image to enlarge and see the 39th BG B-29s in formation - P-12 is in the lower right of image.

Standing L to R:
F/O	Richard W. Strachan	Bombardier
1st Lt	Richard D. Tague	Navigator
Capt	Norman W. Fuerth	Airplane Commander
1st Lt	Edward A. Polite	Pilot
1st Lt	Lamar C. Noble	Radar Observer
Kneeling L to R:
S/Sgt	Robert Brown	CFC Gunner
S/Sgt	Jesse Grubb	Left Gunner
S/Sgt	Leonard S. Trester	Radio Operator
T/Sgt	Otto Seier	Flight Engineer
Sgt	Floyd A. Dawson	Tail Gunner
S/Sgt	Leonard L. Celmer	Right Gunner

	Crew 12 Honor Roll
1st Lt Lamar C. Noble	Radar Observer	March 1961
S/Sgt Leonard Trester	Radio Operator	March 1967
F/O Richard W. Strachan	Bombardier	December 1982
1st Lt Richard D. Tague	Navigator	July 1983
Capt Norman W. Fuerth	Airplane Commander	10 July 1992
Sgt Floyd Dawson	Tail Gunner	9 September 2002
1st Lt Edward A. Polite	Pilot	01 October 1989
T/Sgt Otto Seier	Flight Engineer	6 April 2003
S/Sgt Leonard L. Celmer	Right Gunner	19 February 2006

Update:

09 Jan 2019: Added Floyd Dawson Profile Page to Crew 12 Section, his name to the Crew Honor Roll and Final Flight Section. Thank you to his son Craig notifying us of his passing.

30 Sept 2006: Added photo of P-12 in flight to page.

27 April 2006: Added Leonard Celmer to Honor Roll

12 June 2002 - Added Crew Honor Roll based on information found on the Social Security Death Index Database.

In a phone conversation with Leonard Celmer he mentioned that the crew nicknamed their B-29 "Bald Eagle" in honor of their Airplane Commander who at his young age of 26 in 1945 was already bald. They hoped he it took it in stride and it appears he did.

Otto Seier of Grand Island, NC is the only member of the crew Leonard Celmer had been in contact with since their WWII days. During his last conversation with Seier, Otto mentioned not feeling up to par and at Celmer's next attempt to contact him he was unable to.

Celmer recalls the serial number of their B-29 "The Bald Eagle" as ending in "24707"

Status of Robert Brown, Casey, IL and Jesse Grubb, Chatham, Virginia are unknown.

60th Squadron Crew Index