February 8, 1945—B-25 pilot Charles F. Birkhead, Jr. (1922–1945) went Missing in Action during an aerial attack over Italy in World War II. Tragically, the 22-year-old officer was on his 30th mission when his plane went down. His aircraft was recovered about a year later, and the crew was declared deceased.

Photo Credit: Find-a-Grave / Patti Johnson

Born in Electra, near Wichita Falls, Birkhead moved to Arlington in 1940 when the town’s population was just over 4,000. He was an electrical engineering student at North Texas Agricultural College (now UTA) before being called to duty.

Birkhead earned his wings in March 1944 and served as a 2nd Lieutenant with the Army Air Forces.

A recipient of the Air Medal with three clusters, Birkhead is honored on plaques at Arlington’s downtown World War II Memorial and at Veterans Park. In 1949, he was reburied at Parkdale Cemetery with full military honors.

“Arlington Pilot, Missing Year, Declared Dead”
Fort Worth Star-Telegram – March 21, 1946
Newspapers.com

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Blog post by Jason S. Sullivan, 02-08-26