Home > United States of America > Washington > Spokane County > Saxby > Mica Peak Cemetery > Ivan A. Rockwell

Ivan A. Rockwell

Birth	:	2 Feb 1919 Newport, Pend Oreille County, Washington, USA
Death	:	12 Sep 1943 Yunnan, China
Burial	:	Mica Peak Cemetery, Saxby, Spokane County, USA
Coordinate	:	47.5078011, -117.0764008
Description	:	WASHINGTON 2 LT 449 AAF FTR SQ World War I Ivan attended Grade school at Roseburg and Dillard, Oregon and South Bend, Washington. He graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane, Washington. After graduation from High School, Ivan worked for Bill Hatch Sporting Goods Store in Spokane, Washington. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (About 1940), then transferred to the U. S. Air Force after Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941. He was graduated from Officers School at Victorville, California as a 2nd Lt. He was then sent to England where he was a Test Pilot... Read More	WASHINGTON 2 LT 449 AAF FTR SQ World War I Ivan attended Grade school at Roseburg and Dillard, Oregon and South Bend, Washington. He graduated from Lewis and Clark High School in Spokane, Washington. After graduation from High School, Ivan worked for Bill Hatch Sporting Goods Store in Spokane, Washington. He joined the Royal Canadian Air Force (About 1940), then transferred to the U. S. Air Force after Pearl Harbor was bombed on Dec. 7, 1941. He was graduated from Officers School at Victorville, California as a 2nd Lt. He was then sent to England where he was a Test Pilot for the P-47 fighter plane. He then went through the North African campaign as a P-38 Pilot. It was in North Africa that Ivan met and flew with Tom Harmon. They both volunteered for a special Squadron that was being formed for duty in China. The 449th P-38 Fighter Squadron. The following is a part of a letter written to his Sister (Maxine) on June 9,1944 by Tom Harmon: My Dear Mrs. Powers, I knew Rocky very well in both Africa and China. He was one of the best Pilots of the Squadron and by far one of the best liked boys. I hope that you are justly proud of your brother because he was in- deed one of the finest men that I have ever known. He held the re- spect and admiration of every man in the squadron from the Commanding Officer to the lowest Private. Rocky was a little late in arriving in China due to the fact that he lost his plane on a takeoff in India. The ship lost an engine and due to his wonderful ability to fly, he made a crash landing but ruined his ship. He didn't get a scratch himself but as we were all flying our own planes to China, it made it necessary for him to proceed by transport plane that was very slow to our traveling. The actual flight that he lost his life in was a freak. The Squadron had been given the dirtiest job in China. We were running about three missions a day because of the shortage of pilots and planes. This was too much of a drag on the men and it was stopped soon after. Not soon enough to save Rocky tho and we in the Squadron felt very bad about his loss. The missions that day were on the Harbor at Canton, China. Rocky had volunteered to take the place of one of the other pilots who had been injured in an earlier flight. It was his third mission of the same day. The boys were dog tired. Rocky was flying as one of the top cover men for a group of our P-38's as dive bombers. We had about twelve men on the mission. The boys ran into a fight over Canton and managed to get back without being hurt too bad. Rocky had one of his engines shot out. He was returning to our base on one engine and every- thing seemed under control. He called Lee Gregg, whose wing he was flying that day, and told Gregg that his good engine was heating up too much and that he would have to bail out of his ship. Gregg said O.K. to do it because he was a scant 10 miles from our base. The ship just wouldn't take it. Gregg told Rocky to go ahead and get out and that he would follow him down to be sure that he had his position and would send help from the field to pick him up. Rocky unloosened his safety belt and then jettisoned his canopy cover. As he tried to get out, the canopy cover caught in the wind and smacked back, knocking Rocky out in the plane. The plane spun in from about 5000 feet. I am sure that he didn't know what hit him. I was the officer that identified his body and took charge at his funeral. He was buried with full military honors in Kunming, China which is the headquarters of the 14th Air Force. I will always be proud that I knew Rocky. I know that I, along with the rest of the members of the 449th Fighter Squadron, felt his loss deeply and, I also know that more than one Jap has paid for his life. Sincerely yours, Tom Harmon Ivan had been awarded the Distinquished Flying Cross Air Medal and two Oak Leaf Clusters. He was first buried in The National Cemetery at Kunming, China. His body was then moved to the National Cemetery at Honolulu, Hawaii. From there his parents had his remains moved to the Military Section of the I.O.O.F. Cemetery in Newport, Washington in 1949. Ivan Author Rockwell This information was supplied by family member Gary Boyd.

frequently asked questions (FAQ):

Where is Ivan A. Rockwell's memorial?
Ivan A. Rockwell's memorial is located at: Mica Peak Cemetery, Saxby, Spokane County, USA.
When did Ivan A. Rockwell death?
Ivan A. Rockwell death on 12 Sep 1943 in Yunnan, China
Where are the coordinates of the Ivan A. Rockwell's memorial?
Latitude: 47.5078011
Longitude: -117.0764008

Family Members:

Parent

Wellington Howard Rockwell

(1878 - 1956)

Ivy Stevens Rockwell

(1889 - 1951)

Siblings

Selma A. Rockwell

(1908 - 1909)

Maxine Rockwell Powers Cox

(1912 - 1960)

Theodore Edgar “Ted” Rockwell

(1921 - 1994)

Robert Clair Rockwell

(1927 - 2008)

Flowers:

Nearby Cemetories:

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Coordinate: 47.5078011, -117.0764008

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22. Queen of Peace Cemetery
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23. Waverly Cemetery
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