Pease was born and raised in
Plymouth, New Hampshire; he graduated from high school there, then took
college preparatory classes at
Tilton School. He entered the
University of New Hampshire in 1935, In 1939, he graduated with a degree in
business administration and enlisted in the
Army Air Corps. Pease was commissioned as a
second lieutenant in June 1940 and awarded pilot rating upon completion of
flight training at
Kelly Field, Texas. Pease was assigned to the
19th Bombardment Group (19th BG) as a
B-17 pilot at
Albuquerque Army Air Base, and in October 1941 flew with the group to
Clark Field in the
Philippines. As part of the
Far East Air Force, Pease was present at Clark Field when it was
bombed by Japanese aircraft on December 8, 1941, flew missions in defense of the Philippines, and evacuated with the group to
Darwin, Northern Territory, on December 20, 1941. Pease continued to fly missions with the group in defense of
Java until the end of February 1942. As the
Japanese advanced in the Philippines, Pease was ordered to lead three B-17s of the 19th BG to
Del Monte Field on
Mindanao to evacuate General
Douglas MacArthur, along with the general's family and staff, to Australia. One of the battered planes was forced to abort early, while another developed engine trouble and crashed south of Del Monte. Pease landed his Fortress safely, despite its inoperative wheel brakes. MacArthur was shocked at the sight of Pease's aircraft, upon which the ground crews of the undersupplied 19th BG had used cut-up ration cans to patch bullet holes, as well as Pease himself, whom MacArthur described as a "child". MacArthur flatly refused to place his
wife and
son aboard Pease's B-17 and instead waited for another plane to arrive two days later. in 1987 In May, from a base near
Townsville, Queensland, the 19th BG supported naval carrier aircraft in the
Battle of the Coral Sea, and bombed targets on the north coast of
New Guinea, 16–18 hour missions that necessitated staging through
Port Moresby. During the first six months of the war, the 19th BG was awarded four
Distinguished Unit Citations. On August 6, 1942, one engine of Pease's B-17 failed during a mission, forcing a return to its base at
Mareeba Airfield for repairs. The 19th BG had already scheduled a "maximum effort" mission against
Rabaul,
New Britain, on August 7 but Pease and his crew, with their aircraft out of commission, were not scheduled. Pease understood the importance of the mission and was determined to rejoin the group. Only one B-17 at Mareeba was able to fly, a "war-weary" bomber relegated to training. Its engines needed an overhaul, some armament had been dismounted, and the electric fuel-transfer pump had been used for replacement parts. Pease had a fuel tank installed in the
bomb bay, with a handpump rigged to transfer fuel, and in less than three hours, was en route to Port Moresby with his crew, all of whom had also volunteered for the mission. They landed at 1:00 a.m. after working or flying almost continuously since 6:00 a.m. the previous day. With only three hours' crew rest, Pease took off with the group to attack Rabaul's
Vunakanau airdrome. While from the target, the group was attacked by more than 30 Japanese fighters. Pease and his crew claimed several of the fighters, fought their way to the target, and bombed successfully, but sustained heavy damage in the attacks. After leaving the target area, Pease's crippled B-17 fell behind the rest of the formation. Once again attacked by fighters, he was seen to jettison the burning bomb bay fuel tank before falling back out of sight. Pease and his crew were presumed killed in action. Before the B-17 crashed, however, Pease and another crew member were able to bail out; both were captured and taken to a
POW camp in Rabaul. Pease languished there until October 8, 1942. On that date, Pease, three other Americans, and two Australians were forced to dig their own grave, then were beheaded. Postwar, the remains of three of Pease's crew were found and identified; however, the remains of Pease and those killed with him were not recovered. On December 2, 1942, the
Medal of Honor, awarded posthumously to Pease, was presented by President
Franklin D. Roosevelt to his parents. The recommendation for the award had been issued by Major General
George Kenney, with an endorsement General MacArthur had personally written when Kenney notified him of Pease's death. In June 1957, Portsmouth Air Force Base in New Hampshire was renamed Pease Air Force Base in his honor. It closed in March 1991; a portion continues to operate as
Pease Air National Guard Base. == Medal of Honor citation ==