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ISSUE
33 - September 2008
Over 7,000 Total Ads Listed
1,000 NEW Ads Per Week
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| A GATHERING OF LEGENDS
- ERNEST E. BANKEY |
Colonel Ernest Bankey began making
his mark early in life, and never stopped. Born August 28th,
1920, he grew up in the great Buckeye state, and turned heads
with early achievements ranging from building model airplanes
to soap box derby winnings, and then going on to become an
All-American. Somehow Bankey found the time to graduate from
high school, and soon thereafter signed up with the Army
Air Corps at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio, on the first of
April, 1941.
Early in his career as a staff sergeant, Bankey taught aerial gunnery techniques
in Las Vegas. Around this time, he married his sweetheart, Ginny, and also
awaited his acceptance to Air Cadet School. Acceptance arrived, and he
earned his wings with class 43-G at Williams Air Force Base in Arizona. |
 Immediately
Bankey was assigned to the 383rd Fighter Squadron, 364th
Group that opened Van Nuys, California Air Station and
Oxnard, California Flight Strip. He went with the 364th
to England flying on the group’s third combat mission,
also its last. He was reassigned to the 385th Fighter Squadron,
then the Groups Operation Section. In two tours of duty,
Bankey compiled over 100 sorties and 500 combat hours.
Bankey rightfully received many awards for his bravery
during his service. Mission reports credit him with 10
air destroyed, one probable, five ground destroyed, and
five enemy aircraft damaged. He was awarded the Distinguished
Service Cross for shooting down 5 aircraft on one mission
during the Battle of the Bulge, December 27th, 1944,
when the group was awarded the Distinguished Unit Citation.
Additional awards include the Silver Star, Distinguished
Flying Cross with Clusters, Air Medal with Nine Clusters,
and the French Croix De Guerre with Palm. |
In 1946, Major Bankey returned to
civilian life with his wife and worked as a general building
contractor, but a call to the skies returned him to active
duty in 1953. He moved his young family to assignments
in Germany, Libya, and North Africa to serve as a Fighter/Bomber/Officer/Chief
USAF Europe. Five years later, he accepted an assignment
to Vandenberg Air Force Base in California as Site Commander
in Fort Vandenberg’s newly formed missile program.
He participated as Launch Control Officer in the first
Intercontinental Ballistic Missile launch by an Air Force
Crew on September 19th, 1959. |
 In
1968, Colonel Ernest Bankey did retire from the United States
Air Force at Strategic Air Command Headquarters, Nebraska.
This courageous and loyal legend returned to civilian life,
and moved his family to California and joined the Jet Propulsion
Laboratories in Pasadena where he worked on deep-space projects,
some of which, remarkably, fly on the outer edges of our
solar system still today.
Presently, Ernest Bankey and his wife, Ginny, enjoy
life in Newbury Park, California. Two sons and two daughters
have given them eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren. |
The Gathering
of Mustangs & Legends
Commemorative DVD – Coming Soon! The Mustangs. The
Legends. The History. Preview the forthcoming Gathering
of Mustangs & Legends DVD, which will feature over
60 minutes of footage from the historic four-day air show
held in Columbus, Ohio, September 27-30, 2007. Legend and
pilot interviews, aerial footage, heritage flights and
behind-the-scenes footage are just a few examples of the
exciting and historic footage captured in high definition
for all to enjoy!
Click on the image below to visit the GML website and watch
the DVD preview:
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