Wesley E. Wells

Staff Sgt. Wesley Elmer Wells (19109729) was the ball turret gunner. He was born on 7 August 1925 in Phoenix, AZ, the son of William H. Wells (1889-1968) and Pearl Mae (Gorrell) Wells (1894-1982). He graduated from North Phoenix High School and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor when he was only 17 years old.

He was on his 24th mission when his aircraft was shot down and he bailed out. He was taken prisoner along with the other crewmen. He returned home to marry is his fiancé Phyllis Pringle on 23 August 1945. They had four children.

After the war, Wells worked as carpenter and built several homes, one for his parents and the other for his own family. He attended Arizona State University, earning a Masters degree. He then became a vocational teacher at the Phoenix Indian School and taught carpentry. After teaching for 20 years, he became a vocational specialist for the Bureau of Indian Affairs. In 1967, Wes took courses at the University of Hawaii and became interested in the island's cultural history. He and Phyllis loved Hawaii so much they returned the following summer to build a house in Kailua Kona. When he retired in 1980 they moved to the big island and spent the next 37 years. Wes loved carpentry and built several boats. He was an avid skin diver, and photographer. He also loved archeology, and gardening. He belonged to the Kona Sailing club where he was Port Captain for many years, a member of the 379th Bomb Group Association, and was chosen in 2013 to be honored at the Air Command and Staff College in Alabama.

Wells died on 12 February 2017 in Scottsdale, AZ. He was 91 years old. He was buried in section 65, site 551 in the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona in Phoenix.

National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona

Crash of B-17 44-6119 MACR 12337