July 1944
1st Lt. in the U.S. Air Force during World War II
Oct. 11, 2011 – Jonesboro, Craighead, Arkansas, USA
Oct. 11, 2011 – Jonesboro, Craighead, Arkansas, USA
Buell was sworn into the US Army on May 25, 1942. He went active duty on Aug. 6, 1942, and was honorably discharged in September 1945 at a 1st Lieutentant. The top left patch is Buell's US Army Air Corps patch, which was used prior to the creation of the US Air Force in 1947. The top right patch is his 15th Air Force patch. The top center piece was his hat badge, and the silvar bars surrounding it were his lieutenant bars for his collar. Underneath it are his pilot's wings, worn on his chest on the photo shown. The small circular blue pin on the left is where he instructed aviation after WWII. The blue bar is his bomp group recognition ribbon, and the pin under it is his 98th ban and group pin. On the right of his pilot's wings is a Tennessee pin for the 98th Bomb Group reuinion in 1996. Next to it is his Southeast training command pin for instructing from 1943-1944, and next to that is his 15th Air Force pin. His row of medals follows the tags underneath them: Air ribbon and ...
(standing left to right) 2nd Lt. Cautrer, Bomb Leader; 2n dLt. Louise E. Ardoin, Navigator; 2nd Lt. Henry P. Philpot, Co-Pilot; 1st Lt. Buell H. Crider, Pilot; Sgt. Emerson L. Hanna, Tail Gunner (seated left to right) Cpl. Leslie E. Cotter, Nose Turret Gunner; Cpl. Robert T. Von Sehilgen, Radio Operator/Gunner; Cpl. Pete Gotierry, Armament/Gunner; Pvt. Albert Badigion, Ball Turret Gunner. (not pictured) Sgt. William F. Picket, Flight Engineer/Top Turret Gunner