Today we laid to rest retired Master Sargent Loman Lee Largen. Born March 27, 1925 he made his final flight on March 6, 2021. Born in Winston Salem, NC. to Charles Elmer and Mary Elizabeth Faulkner. He had nine sisters, two brothers, three aunts, two uncles, two wives, three children, six grandchildren and ten great grandchildren. He joined the Army Jun 16, 1941 at the age of 16. He was his unit’s postmaster in Winston Salem and studied for pilot exams, passing only to find the billets were already filled. Determined to fly he went to flight engineer school in Chicago and was assigned to the 449th Bomb Group. Now a flight engineer and top turret gunner flying in the B-24 liberator out of Italy. He flew 50 missions before his 18th birthday, one was daring thousand plane raid on the Romania oil fields. He later told the story of the horror of running in place for 4 hours when the electrical system providing power to their heated suits took a hit. After WWII Loman continued his career in newly formed U.S. Air force. He went on to invent a wrench to adjust the afterburner on the F-86DE and ended his Air Force service as a crew chief on B-52’s in Michigan. Having twenty-three years and four honorable discharges from two branches of the military Loman received the following medals: Air Medal Ribbon W 2 Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Good Conduct, Army Good Conduct Medal, American Defense Medal, European African Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Three Bronze Star Devices, World War II Victory Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korea Service Medal, Air Force Longevity Service with Four Oak Leaf Clusters, Small Arms Marksmanship Ribbon and the United Nations Korean Service. Loman wasn’t done working and went on to be a private pilot, flight instructor, lime juice plant manager, assembly mechanic on packaging machinery, watch and clock repairman, machinist. Loman was a life member of the NRA and VFW and an amateur radio operator “K4TWS” for 69 years.
Gregory Rodriquez
Melbourne, Florida
