Henry E. Erwin

Henry Eugene Erwin Sr. was a United States Army Air Forces airman who served during World War II. He earned the nation's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, while serving as a staff sergeant and radio operator aboard a B-29 Superfortress in the Asia-Pacific theater. He is distinguished as the first and only Boeing B-29 Superfortress crew member to receive the Medal of Honor.

During a bombing mission over Koriyama, Japan, in 1945, a white phosphorus bomb prematurely ignited inside his aircraft, filling the cabin with smoke and severely wounding him. Despite his critical injuries, Erwin picked up the burning device, carried it through the plane, and threw it out of a cockpit window. His heroic actions saved the aircraft and the lives of all crew members on board.

Erwin survived his severe burns and was presented with the Medal of Honor while recovering in the hospital. In addition to the Medal of Honor, his decorations include the Purple Heart, the Air Medal with a bronze oak leaf cluster, and multiple campaign medals reflecting his service in the Pacific theater.