Orgene V. Colvin was born on September 26, 1920, in Texas. He was married to Zella Yvonne Smith Colvin. He served in the 826th Bomber Squadron, 484th Bomber Group, as a Second Lieutenant and Pilot of B-24 #42-51882 during World War II.

On February 20, 1945, 2Lt Orgene V. Colvin and his crew took off from Torretto Airfield in the Foggia Complex, Italy, as part of a mission to bomb the marshalling yards at Bolzano. During the attack, their B-24 was struck by six direct hits of enemy flak in the waist section. The blasts ripped the fuselage apart just behind the bomb bays, tearing the aircraft in two. The ball turret broke away and fell, while the forward section, still carrying its bombs, plunged into a dive, ignited near the ground, and exploded against the side of a mountain. The toll was devastating: four crewmen were killed instantly by the flak. Two others died when their parachutes failed to open, and three more perished later from exposure or starvation after bailing out.

2Lt Colvin was the lone survivor, captured by the German forces and held at Stalag Luft 3 in Sagan-Silesia, Bavaria. After being liberated as a POW, Lt. Colvin continued his military career, eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force, where he went on to serve in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War. LTC Colvin died on October 23, 2003, and is now buried in the Florida National Cemetery, Bushnell, Sumter County, Florida, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, 484th.org/index.htm
Source of photo: Steve Cambria