We all have heroes in our lives, those who stand out in our memories as people having done great things. For most of us it's a parent, grandparent or a person in history. For me it's cousin Tom, a great American hero in my book. This Memorial Day, I am honoring Tom for his service, dedication to the United States and the freedoms and liberties we all enjoy. Tom died defending our way of life and there's a story to be told.
Tommy (as my dad always called him) was born February 27, 1920 in Santa Maria, California. He was the only child of Abdon and Grace Ontiveros. Tom and my dad grew up on neighboring farms, that were part of land inherited from their great grandfather, Juan Pacifico Ontiveros and earlier Spanish land grants. As the story goes, they camped, hunted and fished together as young boys growing up. Daddy always said Tom was his best friend. I'm sure Tom felt the same.
Tom caught the flying bug quite young. In 1940, records show he signed up as an Aviation Cadet at the Tex Rankin flight school in Tulare, California. He had studied and worked as an aviation mechanic at Hancock College in Santa Maria. Tom's Selective Service card shows he registered with the U.S. military in July of 1941. When Pearl Harbor was bombed in December of the same year, I believe Tom was called to action. The Santa Maria Times reported on August 4, 1942, that Tom was made Assistant Flight Commander in the US Army Air Corp. Through my research, I found many articles reporting on the different honors he received while serving in The American Theater of Operations. Tom was a man of honor, dignity and American values.
I started my family research in 2010. After researching the "main players," Tom became the point of almost obsession for me as we really never did know what actually happened to him. After quite a bit of time and patience, his last hours were found and will be reported here.
On November 3, 1943, Tom was the co-pilot flying a B-250 bomber that took off from the U.S. airbase in Gerbini, Sicily. He was part of the 12th bomber group in the 83rd squadron. The weather was reported as bad, with a 10 to 12 mile visibility. There were five crew members on board, no additional passengers were reported and the final destination was La Marsa, Tunisia. They took off at 9:30 am and contact was lost shortly after. No wreckage was ever found nor were any communications ever received. The War Department published their final report on November 25, 1943.
On December 22, 1943, the Santa Maria Times reported Tom as missing in action since November 3. Dad said he was notified while on his ship in the Pacific. Imagine the shock for his parents and family, not ever knowing his fate until I got nosey and started investigating. My belief is Aunt Grace hung the Gold Star Family flag from her farmhouse window, commemorating the loss of her only child. How sad to think, she died never knowing the true details of his final moments.
2Lt Abdon Tomas Ontiveros Jr. is noted on the Tablet of the Missing at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial, in Nettuno, Citta Metropolitana di Roma Capitale, Lazio Italy. May God rest your soul cousin Tom. You will never be forgotten.
The Tablet in Roma, Tom is noted at the top
Gold Star Mother's Flag
