EDWARD S. GUTHRIE, JR., 1LT, USAF
Edward Guthrie, Jr. '51
Lucky Bag
From the 1951 Lucky Bag:
Edward S. Guthrie, Jr.
Asheville, North Carolina
The bantamweight of his company . . . a little rebel from the land of moonshine and mountains . . . came to Navy Tech via the Citadel which accounts for his flair for the military . . . his first love since he came to the Academy has been lacrosse . . . you can see him almost any season of the year running around wildly with his butterfly net ... he is one rebel who has found something good about the North . . . Yankee women, of course ... a die hard pessimist . . . always looking for the worst . . . says this makes good things look better . . . surprisingly humorous in his lighter moments . . . definitely serious in his deeper ones . . . small in stature, but great in heart.
Edward S. Guthrie, Jr.
Asheville, North Carolina
The bantamweight of his company . . . a little rebel from the land of moonshine and mountains . . . came to Navy Tech via the Citadel which accounts for his flair for the military . . . his first love since he came to the Academy has been lacrosse . . . you can see him almost any season of the year running around wildly with his butterfly net ... he is one rebel who has found something good about the North . . . Yankee women, of course ... a die hard pessimist . . . always looking for the worst . . . says this makes good things look better . . . surprisingly humorous in his lighter moments . . . definitely serious in his deeper ones . . . small in stature, but great in heart.
Loss
Edward was killed in action on November 14, 1952 when the B-26 bomber he was aboard was shot down over Korea. The pilot was captured and held as a prisoner of war, but the other two crewman aboard with Edward were killed. Edward was the navigator.
Other Information
From Find A Grave:
First Lieutenant Guthrie was the pilot of a B-26C Invader bomber with the 95th Bomber Squadron, 17th Bomber Wing. On November 14, 1952, while on a night interdiction mission, radar contact with the aircraft was lost. He was listed as Missing in Action and was presumed dead on February 28, 1954.
Awarded: Air Medal, Purple Heart, Korean Service Medal, United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.
From researcher Kathy Franz:
Edward was appointed cadet major at Marion Institute for spring semester 1946. He graduated from Christ School in Arden, North Carolina.
North Carolina Senator Clyde R. Hoey appointed Edward to the Naval Academy.
Edward married Anne Patricia Russell on June 30, 1951, at St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Flushing, New York. His brother William was best man. Ushers were Lt. (j.g.) James Alexander ('49), Thomas Merrick McQuilling ('45), and Ensign Robert Bradley ('51).
In August 1949, Edward underwent amphibious training at the Naval Amphibious Base, Little Creek, Virginia.
His father was an accountant.
"Lt. Guthrie was graduated from Christ School in 1944. He attended The Citadel in Charleston, S C., and Marion Institute in Alabama before entering the U. S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md." (Asheville Citizen-Times, September 13, 1953)
Until at least September 1953 his wife and parents were told Edward was possibly still alive and being held as a Prisoner of War. His wife, Anne Patricia Russell, was also mother of his son, Edward III, who died in February 1954.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
