Ray Melikian (June 7, 1918 – October 25, 2013) was a fighter pilot of the

United States Army Air Forces The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...

during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

where he achieved the rank of major. Melikian flew 228 missions during the war and was known for having "superkeen" eyesight.

Life

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian diaspora, Armenian communities around the ...

descent, Ray Melikian was born in Fresno,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

in 1918. He attended school at Kerman High School. He joined the military where he completed his training in August 1941. After completion of his training, Melikian was sent to

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...

then

New Guinea New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; , fossilized , also known as Papua or historically ) is the List of islands by area, world's second-largest island, with an area of . Located in Melanesia in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is ...

. He is a farmer by profession.

World War II

When World War II commenced, Ray Melikian was assigned to the 7th Fighter Squadron of the United States Army Air Forces. Melikian was assigned to fly many aircraft including Curtiss P-40 Warhawk. The aircraft would eventually have three markings of victory. On August 23, 1942 Melikian took off from Darwin,

on a mission to intercept Japanese aircraft and eventually shot down a Japanese Mitsubishi A6M Zero. On March 5, 1943, while flying over the skies of

, Melikian managed to shoot down a Ki-43 Oscar over Malahang in the Morobe Province. Melikian allowed a friend to borrow his plane in order to conduct a mission. The plane was never returned. In 1969 the wreckage of the plane was discovered in a jungle in

with skeletal remains in it. The plane still contained Melikian's signature on the side of it. In his career as an Air Forces pilot, Melikian went on 228 missions and shot down a total of three Japanese fighter aircraft.

Medals

His decorations include:

Awards

In 1942 Ray Melikian was named Fresno's most outstanding man of the year.

Legacy

Ray Melikian's plane was found in a junkyard in

in 1974. The plane was badly damaged and was in many parts. The plane was sold twice until it was purchased off eBay and then restored by Chris Prevost, owner o
Vintage Aircraft Co
, who bought and machined many of the parts needed for its restoration. The parts needed for restoration cost approximately $600,000 which included a fuselage that cost $151,000. In 2009 the aircraft was completed and on March 14, 2009, Ray Melikian flew the plane with Chris Provost at th
Vintage Airport
in Sonoma, CA. Ray Melikian was 90 years old at the time of the flight. The restored aircraft included Melikian's name and victories on the left side of the cockpit. A portion of one of the Curtiss P-40 Warhawk aircraft Ray Melikian flew during World War II is also displayed at the Museum of Charters Towers.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melikian, Ray 1918 births 2013 deaths Farmers from California United States Army Air Forces pilots of World War II American people of Armenian descent People from Fresno, California Recipients of the Silver Star Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Air Medal Military personnel from California