WITH FERRY PILOTS
George Edward Conroy, 28, of Sioux City, has been commissioned as a second lieutenant in the service pilots division, air transport command. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Conroy of Gaines, Mich. Lieut. Conroy and his wife are living in California.
Lieut. Conroy was formerly employed as a flight instructor by the Graham Flying Service. One of his most harrowing flying experiences was when he was taking a party to the Elks convention at Norfolk, Neb., 25 miles east of Rapid City, a broken propeller tip forced Lieut. Conroy’s plane down in the badlands of South Dakota.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, September 2, 1942
CREWS OF EIGHT PLANES RESCUED BY SIOUX CITY PILOT IN AFRICAN WILDS
Finds Americans After Search Over Trackless Land
Capt. George Conroy, Sioux City veteran army pilot, has quite a story to tell of the wilds of Africa. He should know about natives, the jungle undergrowth and the animals.
For recently, as pilot of a two-motor transport plane, he and his crew took time out from a regular flight to America to effect the rescue of eight missing American aircrews, who were flying to the battle of north Africa.
Far into the wilds of French Equatorial Africa, Conroy, who then was a lieutenant, and his eight crew companions had to go before finding the other planes that had been forced down. All but one of the planes was damaged so that they could not fly.
The story was learned by Mrs. Conroy, 11 12th street. It came to her in newspaper clippings.
Capt. Conroy formerly was an instructor at the Graham flying school at Stevens.
Capt. Conroy piloted his ship several hours over trackless land in French north Africa, landed at one makeshift field and later, after discovering the lost airmen, landed his craft after one unsuccessful attempt, causing slight damage to the tail but without injury to any of his crew.
While there, he and his crew conferred with the natives by signs and drank goats milk. They later took off with all members of the crews that had been forced down and flew them 80 miles to the nearest settlement before proceeding to America.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, May 21, 1943 (photo included)
Capt. George E. Conroy, Shepard Apartments, who recently returned from overseas is stationed at an army air force redistribution station at Miami Beach, Fla., awaiting further assignment. Capt. Conroy flew for 1,025 hours as a C-47 and C-57 pilot in the middle east. His wife, Aris Lucille Conroy, resides in Sioux City and his mother, Mrs. Edith Conroy, lives at Gaines, Mich.
Source: The Sioux City Journal, April 12, 1944
