James Roy Turner

Their Story

            James Roy Turner was born on July 26, 1921, to Austin P. and Nell Turner in Athens, Texas. His father was a farmer.^[1]He had a brother and a sister.  He was raised in Tyler, Texas, where he attended public schools and then graduated from Tyler Junior College in 1940.^[2] 

            Turner first served his country in World War II as a Marine aviator. He joined the Navy Cadets in January of 1941. He graduated in the top 10 percent of his cadet class and chose Marine Corps Aviation as his career path. He became a Marine Corps Fighter Pilot and served throughout the U.S. involvement in the war.  His father died in 1943 while Turner was stationed in California.^[3] His brother, Austin, Jr., was in the Army then and stationed in Alaska.

Turner is reported to have shot down a Japanese Zero fighter plane. He saw the end of the war in September of 1945, and was discharged a month later. For his service in World War II, Turner was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross.^[4]

James R. Turner (MCSN: 0-14799), United States Marine Corps, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for heroism and extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight, in actions against enemy Japanese forces in the Pacific Theater of Operations during World War II.

            Turner seemingly found a liking to military life in addition to his being skilled as a pilot, as he returned to Marine service in June 1946.^[5] He served in the Korean War with the Marines. Turner served in an all-weather fighter squadron in Korea, where he, ultimately, was killed in action.

Turner flew a F7F-3N Tigercat fighter with the Marine Night Fighter Squadron 513, Marine Air Group 33, 1st Marine Air Wing. Turner’s squadron was legendary for its ability to down enemy aircraft at night, earning infamy as the “Flying Nightmares”:

During the Korean War, then VMF(N)-513 (the N is for Night Fighters) was the only aerial night defender of the Pusan Perimeter for all the U.N. forces. They also scored the first ever radar kill of an enemy jet aircraft at night. They followed this with nine more. This is where the unique name ‘The Flying Nightmares’ came from.^[6]

Turner flew missions with Squadron 513 in Korea for two years. He tragically met his fate near the end of the war while flying a mission on December 6, 1952. His casualty listing recounts the episode of his death in action: “On December 6, 1952, while on a combat mission, his aircraft suffered mechanical failure and crashed into the sea near Kunsan Airfield (K-8). He died of exposure after rescue.”^[7] The listing then makes note of the awards given him posthumously: “Major Turner was awarded the Purple Heart, the Combat Action Ribbon, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.”^[8]

            On February 9, 1953, Turner’s body was returned to the United States, arriving in San Francisco aboard the Morris Crane. He was one of two on the ship headed for Davenport and one of 120 others killed during fighting in Korea.^[9] The bodies were then sent to their hometowns under military escort, Major Turner’s via New York City. Turner had never lived in Davenport, but his wife and children moved there after his death.^[10] They resided with Mrs. Turner’s mother. They had previously lived in Cherry Point, North Carolina. Major Turner and his radarman crash-landed their plane on the water after it was discovered that the plane’s radar was not functioning. They were discovered two hours later in their rubber raft and had died from exposure and shock.

Turner was survived by his wife Janet and their four daughters.^[11] He was laid to rest at the National Cemetery at the Rock Island Arsenal. His wife was buried alongside him when she passed away on July 2, 1999.^[12] The service and sacrifice of Turner, and the trials suffered by his grieving family afterward, are stark reminders of the dangers faced by our Armed Forces and their families. James Roy Turner leaves behind a legacy of bravery and sacrifice, for which his country is eternally grateful.

^[1] Texas, U.S., Birth Certificates, 1903-1932 – Ancestry.com

^[2] “Ex-Tylerite Jet Pilot Is Killed,” Tyler Morning Telegraph, December 9, 1952, pp. 1-5.

^[3] 27 Apr 1943, 8 – Tyler Morning Telegraph at Newspapers.com

^[4] “James R. Turner,” The Hall of Valor Project, accessed August 5, 2022.

^[5] “Ex-Tylerite Jet Pilot Is Killed,” Tyler Morning Telegraph, December 9, 1952, pp. 1-5.

^[6] Cpl. William Waterstreet, “The Last of the Nightmares – The Deactivation of Marine Attack Squadron 513,” 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, July 17, 2013.

^[7] “James Roy Turner in the U.S., World War I, World War II, and Korean War Casualty Listings,” Ancestry, 2005.

^[8] “James Roy Turner in the U.S., World War I, World War II, and Korean War Casualty Listings,” Ancestry, 2005.

^[9] 10 Feb 1953, 7 – Quad-City Times at Newspapers.com

^[10] 19 Feb 1953, 15 – The Daily Times at Newspapers.com

^[11] “Marine Airman Killed in Korea,” The Daily Times, December 16, 1952, p. 9,.

^[12] “Janet E Turner,” Find a Grave (Ancestry, February 25, 2000),.