Answers To Go: Lt. Edward Gary first Hays County native to die in WWII

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Lt. Arthur Edward Gary inside the cockpit of his Boeing Flying Fortress (B-17).

November 7, 2009

By Susan Smith The San Marcos Record Sat Nov 07, 2009, 05:02 PM CST

Each week hundreds of people call or visit the San Marcos Public Library to find information. "Answers•To•Go" highlights recently received questions. Please visit the library at 625 East Hopkins, call 393-8200 for information over the phone, or e-mail us through our web-page at www.ci.san-marcos.tx.us/library.htm.

Q. Would you help me find a book about a veteran? I’m working on a school report.

A. It’s always a pleasure to help children with research reports. They are, without a doubt, among our most courteous and appreciative reference customers.

This assignment comes every November before Veterans Day so we’ve purchased books with this set of school reports in mind. Here’s a small sample of the books students use: “Encyclopedia of American War Heroes,” “Hispanic Military Heroes,” and “We Were There: Voices of African American Veterans from World War II to the War in Iraq.”

Of course, we have information on local veterans in our San Marcos — Hays County Collection. In honor of the many local men and women who have served in the armed forces, let’s pull out one of our most interesting and complete files.

Lt. Edward Gary was the first Hays County native to die in World War II. He served as co-pilot on a Boeing Flying Fortress (B-17). Before the war began, he and his crew were featured in an article in the July 1, 1941 issue of “Look” magazine. That article about the B-17 featured a photograph of Gary in the cockpit.

When Pearl Harbor was attacked on Dec. 7, Gary was stationed at Clark Field in the Philippines. On Dec. 8, the Japanese bombed the American airfields there. Edward Gary was a casualty of that attack.

Our files include a firsthand account by author Lee Van Atta. Atta interviewed Captain Frank Kurtz who flew with Gary for a newspaper article titled, “Single-Handed Far East Aerial War Revealed.”

Atta wrote, “Kurtz went to Manila last October (1941) and was stationed at Clark field, then the army base for heavy bombers. The first Japanese bombing attacks on Clark field destroyed Kurtz’ Flying Fortress and killed 12 of his highly specialized crew. Only Kurtz and his navigator, Eddie Oliver of Smithers, West Virginia, managed to escape.

“Kurtz was somber and grim as he related the death of his co-pilot, jovial fun-loving ‘Tex’ Gary of San Marcos, Texas.

“‘I was in the operations tent when the first Japanese formations appeared over the mountains west of Clark field,’ he said. ‘Tex and the gang were standing by the ship, preparing for a mission over Formosa (a Japanese island midway between the Philippines and Japan, proper), when the first bombs hit.’

“‘The co-pilot and crew ran from the plane toward the shelter. Hours later I picked them up where they had fallen. Tex and our mechanic, Sgt. Burgess, were leading the others off toward safety when a bomb exploded in their path, killing all of them instantly.’”

Lt. Edward Gary was honored in his hometown. His family home was on Cedar Street. On Dec.7, 1946, Cedar was renamed Edward Gary. In May of 1953, the San Marcos Air Force Base was renamed Gary Air Force Base.

In the fall of that year, the base name was changed to Edward Gary Air Force Base.

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