An Airman's Story: Staff Sergeant Stanley Curtis Pillsbury




Staff Sergeant Stanley Curtis Pillsbury was born on January 19, 1919, in Sanford, Maine, and grew up working on the family farm.

Enlisting in the Army Air Corps (U.S. Air Force) on November 12, 1941, during World War II, he was assigned as a gunner for the B-24 Liberator Unit and was sent to the Pacific.

In April 1943, during the Battle of  Funafuti, his plane, the "Superman," had taken heavy fire over Nauru. Staff Sergeant Stanley Pillsbury had received a severe injury to his leg from enemy rounds but still managed to shoot down an enemy plane while being bandaged.  The "Superman" was able to land (never to fly again), and Staff Sergeant Pillsbury retired from the war due to his injuries.

He returned to Maine and provided author Laura Hillenbrand with a detailed account of his time in the service, which she used for her book Unbroken.

Staff Sergeant Stanley  Pillsbury died on July 8, 2008, and rests in the National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona.


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a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller living in Salem, Virginia. 

In addition to her travel writings at www.takethebackroads.com, you can also read her book reviews at www.riteoffancy.com and US military biographies at www.everydaypatriot.com

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Location: Sanford, ME, USA

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