hey skyrock bro i dont know if you been to the website yet or not but check this out. you might be able to meet some of them at one of their reunions and get first hand from someone that was there with Howard.
heres some things about them that i liked
The 500th Bomb Squadron ("Rough Raiders") -- one of four squadrons of the 345th Bomb Group (M) -- was activated at Columbia Army Air Base, South Carolina on 11 November, 1942. After training in the United States and Australia, combat operations of the 500th Bomb Squadron began in New Guinea in June 1943. Shortly after flying a few combat missions against the Japanese at medium altitudes, the squadron's B-25 "Mitchell" bombers were converted to strafers and, for the remainder of its existence, the squadron flew low-level strafer-bombing missions. From New Guinea, the squadron continued its combat operations "island hopping" northward, winding up against the Japanese homeland itself in early August 1945.
The 500th Squadron used the following major bases (not including staging bases) in its move northward: Port Moresby, New Guinea; Dobodura, New Guinea; Nadzab, New Guinea; Biak, N.E.I.; Tacloban, Leyte. P.I.; San Marcelino, Luzon, P.I.; Clark Field, Luzon, P.I.; Ie Shima, Ryukyus Islands. The 500th was deactivated at Ie Shima on 11 November, 1945.
During the three years of its existence in World War II, the 500th contributed well to the following overall combat record of the 345th Bomb Group:
10,609 Sorties
58,562 Combat flying hours
6,340 Tons of bombs dropped
12,586,000 Rounds of ammunition expended
177 Planes lost
588 Personnel lost on flights
260 Japanese vessels destroyed
275 Japanese vessels damaged
260 Japanese planes destroyed on the ground
107 Japanese planes destroyed in the air
POST WAR NOTE: The 500th Bomb Squadron was reactivated on 19 July, 1954 at Langley AF Base, Virginia. Reactivation was as the 500th Bomb Squadron (Tactical) of the 345th Bomb Group (Tactical). Types of aircraft flown by the reactivated 500th were: B-26 (Douglas) from 1954-1955 and B-57 (Canberra) flown from 1955-1959. The post-war 500th was deactivated on 25 June, 1959 at Langley AFB, Virginia.
COMMANDERS OF THE
500TH BOMB SQUADRON
Charles M. Hagest 11 Nov 1942 to 29 Mar 1944
Keith E. Dougherty 29 Mar 1944 to 28 Aug 1944
Max H. Mortensen 28 Aug 1944 to 21 Feb 1945
Thomas R. Bazzel 21 Feb 1945 to 5 May 1945
Robert B. Canning 5 May 1945 to 11 Jul 1945
Robert F. Todd 11 Jul 1945 to 25 Oct 1945
William G. Paukovich 25 Oct 1945 to 11 Nov 1945
here is the link for the website
Click Here
