Korean-American Hero: Fred Ohr, WWII Ace
by Richardson ~ October 25th, 2007. Filed under: History, Koreans in America, U.S. Military.
Maj. Fred Ohr flew over 150 missions and had six kills as squadron leader for the famous 2nd Fighter Squadron (flying P-51 Mustangs), the “American Beagles.” He ended up flying in Africa and all over Europe, earning two Silver Stars, two Distinguished Flying Crosses, and a Bronze Star among other decorations:
Born in Oregon in 1919 as the middle child, Ohr was an early isae (second-generation) Korean American… His father, Wan Ju Oh (the surname was later changed to “Ohr”), was a political refugee who escaped to China with his maternal grandfather in the early 1900s to escape Japanese persecution.
They first came to the United States through Alaska to work at a salmon cannery, before moving on to the state of Washington to work at a logging factory. His mother, Wanda Park, came soon after to San Francisco, and made five trips between Korea and the United States to bring over the rest of her family. After spending his early years in Oregon, Wan Ju moved the family to Idaho for new farming opportunities…
Thus it was as an Idaho farm boy that Ohr, barely 20 years old in 1938, signed up to enlist in a National Guard unit.
From page three in the article there is a Q&A session with Maj. Ohr:
I graduated from cadet training in Arizona and was soon sent into a fighter squad. Being Korean and from a family that was persecuted by the Japanese government, I asked to be deployed to the Pacific. Like many other Koreans here, I felt that there was a score to be settled. But they turned me down since, if I was ever caught, I wouldn’t stand a chance, especially since the Japanese government was still after my father. So instead I went to Europe.
[. . .]
After I became squadron leader, my mentality changed. Suddenly, it was no longer about shooting down the enemy but about keeping my guys alive. As leader, I always tried to be the last one out of a mission to make sure that everyone in my squadron got out.
After the war Maj. Ohr married (1946) and graduated from dental school at Northwestern University. Dr. Ohr, now in his mid-80s, is retired and lives in Chicago. Be sure to read the entire article at the KoreAmJournal.
October 26th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
thanks for this article!!
it was a great read!!
October 26th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
Ohr’s story would make a good movie or book, too, I think.
July 12th, 2008 at 7:58 pm
Back in the mid-90s when I was living in Chicago. My sister introduced me to her business partner, Ms. Nancy Ohr, a third Generation Korean-American. She didn’t talk much about her father’s WW II experience but she told us that he served in WW II and he was a retired dentist. I hope she told me more about her father’s war experience and I wished I have met him back then.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:59 pm
As a young kid, I heard these stories about my brother’s buddy (Fred Ohr) who was a highly decorated fighter pilot. Thanks for the article by Richardson about the Korean-American War Hero.
Think he was a Lt. Col. when he left the service.
December 2nd, 2008 at 11:42 pm
Wonder why the name was changed from “Oh” to “Ohr”?
April 20th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
i belive it was changed to be more amercian or at the time a more socialy acceptable name
February 1st, 2010 at 4:08 pm
My stepfather, Joe Macaro, was a crew chief in the 4th Sq, 52nd FGp. I just published my first novel, and am finishing the sequel, inspired by the group’s experiences. I have models of two of Maj. Ohr’s planes, his Spitfire Mk. IX, and his “Marie”, a beautiful P-51D. A USAF veteran myself, I’m also a member of the CAF (Commemorative Air Force), and I just read in our publication “Dispatch”, Jan 2010, that he was inducted into the Combat Airman Hall of Fame. I’m proud to display both his aircraft, and to be able to tell a story of men like my stepfather, and Maj. Ohr. For those interested, “The Vaulted Sky” is the story of an American who served first with the RAF Desert Air Force, before transferring to the 52nd Gp. That part of the story is continued in “The Sky Suspended”, to be published later this year
March 11th, 2010 at 2:29 am
I recently purchased a beautiful 1/32nd scale model of a Spitfire Mk IXc and have decided I want to model it as Mr. Ohr’s aircraft.
I’ve seen some artwork in one book of the bird and seen it referred to as a “High Altitude” paint scheme, but nothing I’ve seen so far provides the exact color(s).
I suppose it might have been either Med Sea Grey, Sky or PRU Blue. Also, nothing I’ve seen gives a clue if the undersides sported a different color, or if this was a monotone paint job on the whole bird.
Can anyone help?
March 11th, 2010 at 12:46 pm
Craig, I have a 1/72 scale die cast model of (then) Lt. Ohr’s Spitfire Mk IX in Tunisia (see my 1Feb post). It is a non-standard paint scheme. The upper surfaces are US sand-beige overall. It’s close to the “Desert Pink” seen on some P-40’s and B-25s serving with the RAF Desert Air Force, but appears more beige. The latter may be what the sand finish looked like before it oxidized to the more pinkish hue? Undersides appear to be standard USAAF grey, typical of all camouflaged Army Air Force aircraft. You can pull up a photo of it on http://www.flyingmule.com. Search for Spitfires, specifically the “Gemini Aces” line of 1/72 scale models. Most Spits in the 52nd were in British sand and brown desert scheme, with light blue undersides, except the latter Spit IXs received by the Group, which were in the RAF standard green and grey/sky grey (or sometimes “duck egg blue”) camouflage for Northern Europe. Hope this helps.