I've included a page for Lt. Col. Thomas J. Lynch as a local hero. His home town was Catasauqua, Pennsylvania located in the heart of the Lehigh Valley not very far from where I live now. At the time of his death he was Dick Bong's commanding officer. Dick Bong was the top American ace of World War II and he and Lynch flew together as a two-man fighter sweep. Tommy Lynch was considered by fellow pilots to be one of the finest fighter pilots in the war. Lynch was only 26 years old when he died and in two years of combat had been credited with shooting down 20 enemy aircraft. At the time of his death he was commanding officer of the 39th FS\35th FG\5th AAF.

This is a copy of an article that appeared in a local newspaper announcing the death of Lt. Col. Thomas J. Lynch. This copy, as well as all other copies of newspaper articles, is from my personal collection. I have 38 Scrap Books made by my grandmother during and after the war. She purchased two copies of three different newspapers every day of the war. She and I worked until the early fifties cutting and pasting the books together.

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