Ted W. Lawson
| Ted W. Lawson | |
|---|---|
Major Lawson
|
|
| Born |
March 7, 1917 Alameda, California |
| Died | January 19, 1992 (aged 74) Chico, California |
| Place of burial | Chico Cemetery Mausoleum |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army Air Forces |
| Years of service | 1940–1945 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit | U.S. Air Mission, Santiago, Chile |
| Commands held | Liaison Officer |
| Battles/wars | participated in Doolittle's Tokyo raid, 1942 World War II |
| Awards |
Distinguished Flying Cross Purple Heart Chinese Army, Navy, and Air Corps Medal, Class A, 1st Grade |
| Other work | Author |
Major Ted William Lawson (March 7, 1917 – January 19, 1992) was an American officer in the United States Army Air Forces, who is known as the author of Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, a memoir of his participation in the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo in 1942. The book was subsequently adapted into a film of the same name starring Spencer Tracy, Van Johnson and Robert Mitchum.
Lawson was born in Alameda, California and attended Los Angeles City College in 1937-1938. He joined the U.S. Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet in March 1940 while a student studying aeronautical engineering by day and working nights in the drafting department of Douglas Aircraft Company. After basic flight instruction at Hancock Field, Santa Maria, California, Lawson attended primary flying training at Randolph Field and advanced training at Kelly Field, receiving his pilot's wings and commission as a Second Lieutenant on 15 November 1940.
Lawson was assigned to the 95th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Group (Medium) at McChord Field, Washington. He was assigned as a co-pilot flying B-18 Bolo medium bombers and checked out in the Douglas B-23 Dragon. He became a first pilot in February 1941 and two months later the group received seven B-25 Mitchells, the first of the new medium bombers to be assigned to a unit in the Air Corps.
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