The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Ten Sisters veterans gathered at the Village Green on Memorial Day, May 25, to honor the fallen and to pay their respects to all veterans who had served our country in U.S. military service.

The small ceremony took the place of the traditional Memorial Day service at the Village Green Park, which was not held this year due to COVID-19 restrictions.

This year’s keynote speaker was to be World War II Navy fighter pilot Leon Devereaux who currently resides in Tumalo.

Devereaux was born on August 26, 1923, in Bend. He became interested in flying at an early age, after his father arranged a flight for him in a Ford Tri-Motor airplane. He attended Bend High School and was active in multiple sports. Upon graduating in 1941 he attended OSU, majoring in Aeronautical and Mechanical Engineering.

On December 7, 1942, one year after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Devereaux joined the Naval Air V-5 program with a goal of becoming a pilot. His training involved ground school, physical fitness and survival training. Flight training continued in the Boeing N2S Stearman, known as the “Yellow Peril.” Final training took place at Corpus Christi Naval Air Station in Texas, where he received his commission as an ensign on July 14, 1944.

Next, he was transferred to Green Cove Springs NAS, Florida, where he began extensive combat training in the F4U Corsair, and became carrier qualified in March 1945. He was then sent to Saipan with the VBF-99 to escort B-29 bombers to deter enemy aircraft.

His next key assignment was aboard the USS Shangri La CV-38. Task Force 38 launched over 1,000 sorties to northern Honshu and Hokkaido where the B-29s from Tinian or Guam could not reach.

On the morning of July 14, 1945, while on combat patrol, along with Lt. j. g. E. Hatfield, they encountered and attacked two Mitsubishi G4M bombers. Hatfield’s guns jammed and Devereaux continued his attack and successfully destroyed one of the enemy aircraft. He followed it down until it exploded into the water.

Upon returning to the USS Shangri La, his tail hook failed; he slammed on his brakes and crashed into the barrier. His plane flipped up on its nose and right wing, and balanced there in a vertical position. Unhurt and able to climb down from his damaged fighter, he was met with an order to report to the Admiral.

Reporting as ordered, Vice Admiral John McCain offered his hand and said, “Great job, Devereaux, You are one for one, eh!”

Of the 1,391 sorties flown on that day by Task Force 38, he was the only one that shot down an enemy plane over the carrier armada.

At war’s end, having flown 40 combat missions, he was awarded the Air Medal with three Gold Stars.

Leon Deveraux (front row, right), a native of Bend, flew combat missions in The Pacific Theater of World War II. photo provided

His final flight was over the battleship Missouri in Tokyo harbor during the signing of the surrender ceremony. Leon was released from active duty and returned home to Bend, and remained in the Naval Reserves with occasional weekend duty at Sand Point NAS, Washington through 1949.

In June of 1946 Leon married Marian Mowery and they raised three children.

He worked for Brooks-Scanlon Lumber for 38 years, ultimately serving as their controller.

He continues to be active in politics and serves on community boards. He was elected as Bend’s mayor in 1968 and was the Grand Marshall of Bend’s 2017 Veterans Day parade. He was honored by our Central Oregon Honor Flight with an all-expense-paid trip to Washington, DC to visit the World War II Memorial.

Sisters veterans hailed Leon Devereaux as a patriot, a war hero, outstanding citizen and a tribute to the “Greatest Generation.” This coming June, Leon and his wife will celebrate 74 years of marriage.