Floyd Joaquin Pell was born on December 29, 1913, in Ogden, Weber County, Utah. He was the son of Wesley Orr Pell and Gertrude Barbara Ludwig Pell. He graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, Class of 1937. Initially commissioned in the Cavalry, he transferred to the Army Air Corps later that year. He completed flight training at Randolph Field and advanced attack training at Kelly Field, Texas, earning his pilot’s wings in 1938. From 1938 to 1940, he served at March Field, California, as a squadron engineering officer, group adjutant, and deputy airplane commander with the 34th Attack Squadron, 17th Bombardment Group. In mid-1940, he was assigned to Nichols Field in the Philippines, where he served as squadron operations officer with the 4th Composite Group.

When World War II began, Major Pell led his airmen in fierce combat against overwhelming Japanese forces. On February 19, 1942, while operating from Darwin, Australia, he was killed in action leading a formation of ten planes against approximately 110 enemy Japanese planes, including high-level bombers, fighters, and dive bombers. According to a report of a fellow officer, Major Pell took off from the ground despite enemy planes strafing him. Before he was in the air, three enemy fighters were firing on him. He had the plane off the ground and made a heroic effort to defend the air base before he was shot down. He is now buried in the United States Military Academy Post Cemetery, West Point, Orange County, New York, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, alumni.westpointaog.org