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| Aviation Art Collecton - Lt Col Joe M Bean USAF |
Born in Kim, Colorado in 1916, Joe Bean enlisted in the Army Air Corp. in early 1940. He completed his basic training in California and his advanced training at Maxwell Field, Alabama. Joe went through navigator training at Coral Gables. He flew to Hawaii in September of 1941 where he was assigned to the 14th Bomb Squadron of the 19th Bomb Group. Captain Colin Kelly personally selected Joe as his navigator, and the crew made the long journey in their B- 17 from Hawaii to Clark Field in the Philippines. Joe's total air training consisted of this long distance flight. On December 8, 1941 (December 7th in the U.S.) the B- 17 under Kelly's command, and with Joe as its navigator, flew a reconnaissance mission northward from Clark Field towards Formosa. On their return leg of the mission they observed a large number of Japanese ships escorted by aircraft. On the following day Joe and his crewmates were assigned an older B-17C model and were ordered to fly this aircraft on a mission to seek out and bomb an enemy aircraft carrier situated off the north coast of Luzon. While no carrier was found they were successful on an attack on a large capital ship believed to be the Cruiser Ashi,-ari. This was the first loss of a capital ship by the Imperial Navy since the War had begun. On the way back to Clark Field the B-17 was jumped by a large number of Japanese fighter aircraft. Sgt. Delchanty was killed in the attack, and with the ship in bad shape, Captain Kelly ordered the crew to bail out. Kelly went with the ship. Bean was picked up and returned to Clark Field. In late January Joe left the Philippines by ship which was bombed by the Japanese. Joe's squadron mates were sent to Lake Lanau, and then on to Australia in the bomb bay of a B-24. Joe eventually ended up in Perth, Australia where General Royce organized a task force of three B-17s and ten B-25s. This group flew a number of missions out of Perth and later flew out of Charters Towers. Joe returned to the States in June of 1943. He married the former Janc Danielsen of Ripon, Wisconsin in April of 1944. Joe remained in the Air Force until 1964 when he retired. He was on the Bikini atomic bomb mission from Kwajalein in 1946. Most of Joe's Air Force career was spent with the Strategic Air Command. His numerous decorations include the Purple Heart, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Force Commendation Medal and Commendation Ribbon. After his retirement Joe relocated to Colorado Springs where for more than twenty years he was active in the real estate business. In May of 1994 Joe, accompanied by his son and his wife of fifty-two years, attended the Second Dedication of the Four Freedoms Monument in Captain Colin P. Kelly's hometown of Madison, Florida. At the dedication were Kelly's son, the Rev. Colin P. Kelly II of Las Alamos, New Mexico, and Kelly's grandson Colin P. Kelly, III. He died on 8th December 1999.  Died : 1999 |
| Based on many years of experience in dealing with thousands of aviation signatures, we have estimated the value this signature adds to a print as £50 |
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