Moore, John George
Air Force Captain

John George Moore, age 37, from Portland, Oregon, Multnomah county.

Service era: Korea

Date of death: Thursday, August 30, 1951
Death details: On August 30, 1951, a B-26B Invader (tail number 41-39442A, call sign “Skillful 13”) carrying three crew members took off from Kunsan Airdrome, South Korea, as one of three aircraft on a low-level night intruder mission against enemy targets on roads and rail lines between Sariwon and Pyongsan, North Korean. Two of the aircraft dropped their ordnance and returned to base; however, the crew of “Skillful 13” radioed they would remain in the area to expend its remaining ordnance. Approximately one and a half hours after it arrived in the target area, this aircraft reported it was returning to base, but no further radio contact was made. When the aircraft was overdue to its home base, an air search was initiated but found no trace of the missing B-26 or its crew; however, three parachutes were observed on the ground near the B-26’s last reported position in the air, which were suspected to be those of the crew of Skillful 13. Captain John George Moore entered the U.S. Air Force from Oregon and served with the 8th Bombardment Squadron, 3rd Bombardment Group (Light). He was the pilot of this Invader when it was lost, and he went missing with the aircraft. No returning POWs reported having contact with Capt Moore, nor was he seen at any known holding point, interrogation center, hospital, or permanent POW camp. Today, Captain Moore is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.

Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency