Distinctly Montana Magazine

95 w w w . d i s t i n c t l y m o n t a n a . c o m 2025 o f BEST M O N TA N A A S V O T E D B Y R E A D E R S O F Local, family, and employee-owned property management in Big Sky, Bozeman, Bigfork and Whitefish. BEST PROPERTY MANAGEMENT SERVICE IN MONTANA Partner with a company you can trust! 406.556.6858 staymontana.com/join 2023-25 o f BEST M O N TA N A A S V O T E D B Y R E A D E R S O F W I N N E R ! Y E A R S WO N Efforts to identify the specific aircraft used in the Miles City mis- sion are promising but inconclusive. Records indicate that Ez- zard piloted at least two B-17s on combat missions in and around Java, Australia, and New Guinea. The most legitimate candidate for this accolade is a B-17F (Number 41-24401), nicknamed "Lak-A-Nookie," which Ezzard flew in a night mission on Octo- ber 31, 1942. This sortie was one of 50 conducted by its crew(s) before redeployment to the United States on October 21, 1943. During the following year, this aircraft was stationed at Rapid City Army Air Base, where it was photographed in early 1944, with the crew of 1st Lt. Victor E. Stoll. Quite simply, this bomber was in the right place at the right time, and it was used to train B-17 crews prior to their deployment as part of the 8th Air Force in England. However, available evidence does not categorically prove that it was the instrument of destruction in this legendary raid. According to Margaret Ezzard Tyndall, his niece, Ma- jor Ezzard was promoted to lieutenant colonel 10 days after completion of the Miles City mission. In remarks delivered during a Memorial Day speech in 1996, he quipped that his promotion "would not have occurred, had he hit anything but the river." Ezzard was ultimately awarded the Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal with one oak leaf cluster before his retirement in 1966 at the rank of colonel. He was, indeed, the only World War II bomber pilot who had the honor and distinc- tion of defending our country in the homeland, albeit against an incursion by Mother Nature, rather than a foreign invader. HE WAS THE ONLY WORLD WAR II BOMBER PILOT WHO HAD THE HONOR OF DEFENDING OUR COUNTRY IN THE HOMELAND AGAINST AN NCURSION BY MOTHER NATURE.

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