Saves Crew Members By First Aid And Giving Up Own Mask
15TH AAF IN ITALY—S/Sgt. Dominic Jemella, 24, of 284 Lenox Street, Norwood, Mass., though now a mess sergeant in the 15th AAF, wears the Distinguished Flying Cross, having recently been presented the award “for extraordinary achievement in aerial flight” on a bombing mission over Winter Halfen, Austria, last June.
A ball turret gunner on a B-21 Liberator bomber at the time, Sgt. Jemella’s plane was severely damaged by several direct flak hits.
In the words of the citation which accompanied the award, “The navigator and bombardier were both seriously wounded, and the nose turret gunner was trapped in his turret when the two men fell against the doors Sgt. Jemella left his position in the ball turret and finding the two men slumped over each other, separated them and found that the bombardier’s oxygen mask had been shot off.
“He took off his own mask and placed it on him and carried the navigator to the flight deck where he dressed his wounds and then started back to the bombardier. Due to the lack of oxygen, Sgt. Jemella passed out, but when he was revived by a fellow crewman, he returned to the nose compartment and administered first aid to the bombardier, whose left leg was badly mangled.”
At this point, Sgt. Jemella found his civilian experience as a medic at the Norwood hospital was an advantage.
“Still without oxygen and flying at 20,000 feet,” the citation continued, “he placed a tourniquet on the bombardier’s leg and went back to the navigator whose left leg was also badly gashed He continued to make his way back and forth, tending the wounds of the injured men throughout the long and hazardous journey over enemy territory.
“Reaching the home base, a crash landing was inevitable. Sgt. Jemella helped in carrying all movable equipment to the rear of the plane to equalize the weight and keep the nose wheel up The plane made a crash landing without any further injury to the crew or plane.”
(All articles originally published in the Norwood Messenger)