2014 Honoree
Army Air Corps, Air Force, World War II
Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal (3), and other awards
During the summer of 1940, Roy Lee Grover attended ground school at the Civilian Pilot Program at the University of Utah. After completing his sophomore year, he applied for pilot training in the Army Air Corps as war seemed eminent. After waiting months, his call came and he enlisted on November 1, 1941. Grover then began flight training at Visalia, California. He graduated, received his wings, and became a Second Lieutenant in the Army Air Corps on May 21, 1942. He was then deployed in August as a pilot with the 38th Bomb Group to prevent the feared Japanese invasion of Australia.
From Northern Australia the 38th Bomb Group began their bombing raids on the Japanese in New Guinea in September of 1942. As a copilot on his first combat mission, Grover saw puffs of black smoke around his plane that he could not explain. Then he heard what sounded like rocks being thrown against a tin roof. He soon realized it was shrapnel hitting his plane and that the Japanese were firing on him. “Why are they trying to kill me, I’m a nice guy, we’re all nice guys up here!” he thought, but that thought was short lived. “I realized it was either them or me, and I decided it was going to be them!”
One mission was very memorable to Grover. It was an attack on Japanese shipping at Wewak New Guinea September 2, 1943. As 16 attacking B25’s descended below the clouds, the bombers broke into two eight ship formations, with Grover leading the second group. Two enemy cargo ships were below unloading their cargo. The first set of bombers missed the largest cargo vessel so Grover dropped to deck level, silenced the ship’s machine guns, and then dropped his two 1,000 pound bombs a few seconds apart. One bomb hit the water and bounced over the ship. The second bomb hit the ship at the water line, setting it afire and sinking it. Grover was flying so low in this attack that he had to fly between the masts of the ship and brought the ship’s radio antenna home on his wing.
There was anti-aircraft fire and many enemy fighter aircraft protecting the ships during the attack. Eight Japanese fighters attacked Grover and his wing man. They shot down his wing man and then began focusing on Grover. He dropped to sea level so it would be more difficult to attack him. That left only attacks from his left and his right—the most effective ways to attack a B25. As they came in one at a time Grover turned the bomber into the attack and fought them off with his forward and upper turret guns. They attacked constantly as he headed out to sea and back to his base until the fighters slowly gave up as they were getting further from their base and running out of fuel. Grover’s bomber was called the’ Tokyo Sleeper’ and it came home filled with bullet holes and with the front machine gun controls shot out. Three of the attacking bombers were shot down on this mission, but the Tokyo Sleeper had sunk a large cargo ship and shot down two enemy fighters.
During his time in New Guinea, Grover flew 57 combat missions against the Japanese, and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and three Air Medals. He returned to the United States in October of 1943 where he trained combat crews and flew transport missions in the U.S., Europe, and North Africa.
During his time in the military, Roy Lee Grover was a pilot, comptroller, deputy base commander, and management analyst at the Air Defense Command in Colorado. He retired in 1964, as a Lt. Colonel, and then worked in the aerospace industry as an operations research analyst.
Recalling his war time experiences, Grover said “Sometimes war in inevitable, but war is a terrible way to settle arguments between countries.”
98-372
C2020-702
70-488
1Y0-200
70-178
70-640
CV0-001
MB6-872
SK0-003
VCP-510
C_HANATEC131
C2180-275
JN0-360
MB6-870
VCAD510
640-722
70-646
C4090-452
70-331
C4060-155
CLO-001
FCBA
1Z0-897
350-050
640-692
70-337
70-689
74-344
C2150-197
300-115
3I0-012
642-874
642-997
70-177
220-801
220-802
N10-005
SY0-301
000-221
00-780
N0-101
JN0-332
MB7-700
PC0-001
PMI-SP
S90-09A
700-505
640-911
M70-301
70-410
70-461
70-462
200-120
70-488
MB2-703
70-411
MB5-705
70-487
70-243
VCP-550
70-414
70-466
70-410
2V0-621
070-480
1Z0-062
350-080
300-208
70-687
70-486
070-331
70-410
70-461
70-462
200-120
70-488
MB2-703
70-411
MB5-705
70-346
98-365
98-364
98-361
70-270
70-412
98-366
000-080
SY0-401
9L0-012
C_BODI_20
PRINCE2
1Z0-851
70-432
1Y0-253
070-496
100-101
70-486
070-331
PMP
OG0-093
640-461
CQE
3I0-012
070-489
MB6-886
HP0-S41
P2180-031
HP0-J73
1Z0-060
1Z0-061
C2020-012
c2070-585
C_TAW12_731
GCIA
C2020-013
300-101
C2170-008
c4040-122
c4090-456
1Z0-061
C2020-012
1Z0-803
640-722
M70-201
MB5-705
C_TBIT44_731
C4040-251
JN0-102 exam
300-208 exam
1z0-060 exam
EX200 exam
300-075 exam
210-065 exam
810-401 exam
1Z0-047 exam
M2020-733 exam
C_TAW12_731 exam
GCIA exam
C2020-013 exam
300-101 exam
C2170-008 exam
PR000041 exam
70-410
70-461
70-480
70-532
070-410
070-488
70-488
C_TADM51_731
70-483
70-533
AWS-SysOps
70-411
70-417
70-243
N10-006
98-365
98-364
98-361
PRINCE2 Practitioner
70-412
98-366
156-215.77
SY0-401
070-461
CISSP
2V0-621
070-480
1Z0-062
350-080
300-208
70-687
70-486
070-331
PMP
OG0-093
640-461
CQE
3I0-012
070-489
312-50v8
70-466
4A0-104
C4040-250
HP2-T23
2V0-620
1Z0-147
CCD-410
HP2-Z34
70-463 test
MB2-700 test
70-417 test
MB2-702 test
70-487 test
70-243 test
70-414
70-466
70-331
EX300
1Z0-060
MB2-701
70-467
EX200
M70-301
70-489
220-802
050-SEPROAUTH-02
M70-101
70-458
CCD-410
70-489
220-802
700-501
050-SEPROAUTH-02
M70-101