Warbird Information Exchange

Decorated Air Force pilot dies at 91

By Fred Brown
Published Thursday, March 24, 2011
C.S. Needham, Fountain City businessman and a World War II U.S. Army Air Force veteran. Died March 22, 2011, age 91.

Flying with the 388th Bomb Group of the 8th Air Force over Germany during World War II, C.S. Needham once said the missions were so dangerous that senior Air Force officers told him "not to expect to come back."

Mr. Needham, a pilot who flew 35 combat missions in a B-17 Flying Fortress - 10 more than required to rotate home - died Tuesday at age 91.

He was a longtime and well-known Fountain City businessman and civic leader.

Mr. Needham was recalled into service for the Korean conflict, serving as wing intelligence officer for the 51st Fighter Interceptor Wing.

His military awards include the Air Medal with Six Oak Leaf Clusters, the U.N. Service Medal and Korean Service Medal.

In World War II, most of Mr. Needham's combat flights took him over the dangerous Ruhr Valley to bomb Germany's industrial center.

"He told me just recently that before each flight, he would put his head against his plane and pray that the Lord would bring him and his crew back safely," said Mr. Needham's daughter, Judy Trivette of Fountain City.

After the war, Mr. Needham returned to Knoxville to start Plasti-Fab, a custom sign and display business he owned and operated for more than 50 years before his retirement in 2009.

Funeral is set for 2 p.m. Friday at Central Baptist Church of Fountain City with the Rev. Ron Mouser officiating.

Burial will follow in Highland Memorial Cemetery with full military honors presented by the Volunteer State Veterans Honor Guard and the United States Air Force 118th Base Honor Guard.

In addition, Stan Brock, a longtime friend of Needham's, is scheduled to perform a flyover during the burial in Remote Area Medical's C-47, a transport plane used during the June 6, 1944, D-Day Normandy invasion.

Posted:
http://m.knoxnews.com/news/2011/mar/24/ ... dham-wwii/