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Gale Cleven

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Gale W. Cleven
Nickname(s)Buck
Born(1918-12-27)December 27, 1918
Lemmon, South Dakota, U.S.
DiedNovember 17, 2006(2006-11-17) (aged 87)
Sheridan, Wyoming, U.S.
AllegianceUnited States
Service / branch
Years of service1940–1963
RankColonel
Service numberO-399782
Unit100th Bombardment Group (Heavy)
Battles / warsWorld War II
Korean War
Vietnam War
AwardsDistinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross
Air Medal (4)
Alma materUniversity of Wyoming (BA)
Harvard Business School (MBA)
Georgetown University (PhD)
Spouse(s)
  • Marjorie Ruth Spencer
    ​
    ​
    (m. 1945; died 1953)​
  • Esther Lee Athey
    ​
    (m. 1955)​

Gale Winston "Buck" Cleven (December 27, 1918 – November 17, 2006) was an American pilot who served with the 100th Bomb Group of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II.[1][2]

Early life and military service

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Gale Cleven was born on December 27, 1918, in Lemmon, South Dakota, before the family moved to Wyoming for his father to work in the oil fields. Cleven grew up slightly north of Casper, Wyoming and graduated valedictorian at his high school.[3] He worked as a roughneck in the oil fields throughout his undergraduate career at the University of Wyoming. During his time at the University of Wyoming he studied mathematics on a full academic scholarship and was a council member for Phi Delta Theta.[1][4] He later completed another degree at the University of Wyoming, majoring in geology.[5]

Military

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On February 20, 1940, Cleven enlisted in the Army and received flight training at Randolph and Kelly Fields, Texas. He was an instructor for the 29th Bomb Group at the McDill Air Force base in May 1942 and was promoted to commander of the 350th Bomb Squadron in July 1942.[6]

His service with the 100th Bomb Group of the Eighth Air Force began on October 27, 1942. He was a part of the Regensburg shuttle mission, piloting one of the few B-17s to reach North Africa.[7] In a post mission report it was recommended that Cleven receive the Medal of Honor for his actions during the mission, he instead received a Distinguished Service Cross.[8] In January 1943 he was promoted to the rank of Major.[7]

On October 8, 1943, while on his 22nd mission, he was shot down over Bremen, Germany. Cleven was then taken as a prisoner-of-war to Stalag Luft III and Stalag VII-A, before escaping to American lines in March 1945.[7] During his time in the camp, Cleven taught advanced calculus to other prisoners.[9]

Cleven continued to be a member of the Air Force and served throughout the Korean and Vietnam wars before he retired, with the rank of Colonel.[4] While in the military Cleven held positions in management in data processing divisions of the Atomic Energy Commission, US Air Force, and the Office of Defense.[10]

Personal life

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Cleven married his childhood sweetheart Marjorie née Spencer from Lander, Wyoming in July 1945. She died from a brain aneurysm in August 1953 shortly after contracting polio while visiting her family in Coffeyville, Kansas.[11][12] In 1955, he married Esther Lee Athey, to whom he remained married until he died in 2006, leaving behind his wife, a daughter and two grandchildren.[13]

During flying school, Cleven was given the nickname Buck by fellow airman and best friend John "Bucky" Egan, as the latter thought that he looked like his friend from Wisconsin named Buck.[14] Egan reportedly brought a silk parachute to Cleven and Spencers wedding to be used as bridal dress material for Spencer.[1]

After the war, Cleven earned an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1949 and a Ph.D. in interplanetary physics from Georgetown University in 1964.[10][1] After retiring from the Air Force, Cleven held a number of different jobs including in aeronautics and as the president of Webber College from 1979–1986.[4] During his time as president at Webber College he was credited with increasing enrollment and the academic offerings of the college, and laying the foundation for the school's athletic programs.[15]

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Cleven is portrayed by Austin Butler in Apple TV+'s Masters of the Air.[13] His future wife Marge Spencer is portrayed by Isabel May.[16]

Awards and decorations

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His awards include:

  USAF Command pilot badge
Distinguished Service Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Air Medal with three bronze oak leaf clusters
Air Force Presidential Unit Citation
Prisoner of War Medal
American Defense Service Medal
American Campaign Medal
Bronze star
 European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with bronze campaign star
World War II Victory Medal
Width=44 scarlet ribbon with a central width-4 golden yellow stripe, flanked by pairs of width-1 scarlet, white, Old Glory blue, and white stripes National Defense Service Medal
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Bronze oak leaf cluster
 Air Force Longevity Service Award with four bronze oak leaf clusters

Distinguished Service Cross citation

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Cleven, Gale W.
Major (Air Corps), U.S. Army Air Forces
350th Bombardment Squadron, 100th Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force
Date of Action: August 17, 1943
Citation:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to Major (Air Corps) Gale Winston Cleven, United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving as Pilot of a B-17 Heavy Bomber in the 350th Bombardment Squadron, 100th Bombardment Group (H), Eighth Air Force, while participating in a bombing mission on 17 August 1943, against enemy ground targets in Bremen, Germany. With his ship badly damaged, partially out of control, and with serious injuries to his personnel, Major Cleven continued to lead his squadron to the target in the face of extremely heavy attacks by enemy aircraft, executed a successful bombing attack, and reached base in North Africa safely. This brilliantly successful operation, to which Major Cleven contributed very largely, resulted in a damaging blow to the enemy by the destruction of military objectives and of a large number of enemy aircraft. The extraordinary heroism, coolness, and skill displayed by Major Cleven on this occasion reflected the greatest credit upon himself and inspired the members of his command.[17]

References

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  1. ^ a b c d Miller, Donald L. (2007). Masters of the air: America's bomber boys who fought the air war against Nazi Germany (1. Simon & Schuster trade paperback ed.). New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9780743235457.
  2. ^ "Major Gale Cleven, Odessan, comes through tough raid". The Odessa American. October 26, 1943. pp. 1, 3. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.Open access icon
  3. ^ "Ronman of Academia Rule 1 at Webber College: Don't Mess With Buck Cleven. Rule 2: Buck Cleven Makes All the Rules". Orlando Sentinel. 1986-01-12. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  4. ^ a b c "Gale Cleven and George Niethammer: The Wyoming Connection in "Masters of the Air"". American Heritage Center (AHC) #AlwaysArchiving. 2024-04-01. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  5. ^ Singerman, Philip (January 12, 1986). "Ironman of Academia; Rule 1 at Webber College: Don't mess with Buck Cleven". The Orlando Sentinel. pp. 198–203. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  6. ^ "Gale Winston Cleven". American Air Museum in Britain. 18 Mar 2024. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  7. ^ a b c "Personnel". 100th Bomb Group Foundation. Retrieved 2024-02-14.
  8. ^ Murphy, Frank (2023). Luck of the Draw: My Story of the Air War in Europe. New York: St Martins Griffin. p. 177. ISBN 978-1-250-28415-0.
  9. ^ "Life behind the wire at Stalag Luft III". American Air Museum in Britain. Retrieved June 15, 2024.
  10. ^ a b "Operations Director Plans to Address for Acountant". The Daily Breeze. September 15, 1966. p. 24. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  11. ^ "Maj Gale W. "Buck" CLEVEN". 100th Bomb Group Foundation. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  12. ^ "Article clipped from Fort Worth Star-Telegram". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. 1953-08-25. p. 20. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
  13. ^ a b Jonny Wilkes (January 26, 2024). "The real Gale Cleven: who was Buck in Masters of the Air?". History Extra. Immediate Media Company. Retrieved January 28, 2024.
  14. ^ Meilan Solly (23 January 2024). "The Real History Behind 'Masters of the Air' and the 100th Bomb Group". Smithsonian Magazine. Retrieved 28 January 2024.
  15. ^ Sunshine, Steve. "Dr. Gale W. "Buck" Cleven 1979 to 1986". webberlegacyfoundation.org. Retrieved 2024-06-15.
  16. ^ Kumari, Kopal (2024-01-26). "When do new episodes of 'Masters of the Air' release and how many are there?". We Got This Covered. Retrieved 2024-06-20.
  17. ^ "Valor awards for Gale Winston Cleven". Military Times. Retrieved 2024-05-04.
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