Buzzin Cousins Meet for First Time in Guadalcanal Foxhole

GUADALCANAL, SOLOMON ISLANDS, OCT- 4TH, 1942. (AP) – When the air raid siren sounded, Lieutenant David L. Gaede of Columbus, Ohio, dived into a foxhole. The aviator landed smack on top of a navy officer who already taken shelter there. “Sorry," grinned the first man. “My name is David L. Gaede.” The second officer grinned and stuck out his hand. “So is mine. I am Lieutenant Commander David C. Gaede of Coronado, California.” The men were first cousins, but had never met before. The photograph depicts the two David Gaedes as they recount the circumstance of how they initially met during the war in the Pacific, for the media of the day. Like so many American cousins, the two grew up apart, even though they shared the same grandfather. Both Lieutenant Commander David C. Gaede and 1LT David L. Gaede were sons of Seventh Day Adventist ministers. Seeking religious freedom, each father immigrated to America from Europe to a Mennonite community in Hillsboro, Kansas. Arriving in America at the age of 15, young David C. Gaede could not speak English, but caught on quickly. He graduated from the University of Nebraska and ultimately earned his medical degree at Northwestern. Upon earning his Navy commission, he attended the newly formed Army Air Corps Flight Surgeon School and was assigned to the USS Langley, our nation's initial aircraft carrier. Ten years later, Lieutenant Commander Gaede, now Chief Flight Surgeon of the newly formed First Marine Aircraft Wing, was assigned to the Island of Guadalcanal in the Solomons. The two David Gaedes would meet during that campaign. Ultimately, 7,000 Americans would be killed on the island to include losses of 29 ships and 615 aircraft. The six-month battle and eventual allied victory marked the end of the Japanese advance in the Western Pacific. David L. Gaede attended his beloved Ohio State University, class of 1940, and earned his wings and flew as the navigator of the B-17 Flying Fortress. 1LT David L. Gaede was assigned to Hickam Field in the Hawaiian Islands. On Dec. 7, 1941, during the attack, 1LT Gaede ran toward his B-17 in pajamas and was strafed by gun-fire from the Japanese zeros above. The plane’s tail section was blown off as he approached. LTC Gaede participated in the Battle of Midway, Guadalcanal and three campaigns in the Solomons. Gaede flew 60 combat missions over Korea. He earned a Silver Star, four Distinguished Flying Crosses, seven Air Medals and two Purple Hearts. Rear Admiral David C. Gaede earned many awards to include the Legion of Merit. He passed in 1977. His son, LTC Rex D. Gaede USAF, Ret., of Brea, chose second cousin, LTC David L. Gaede to be the best man at his wedding in 1957. LTC David L. Gaede was laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery, June 25, 2014, age 95. He is survived by local cousins LTC Rex D. Gaede, USAF Ret., of Brea and former Army Capt. Jon D. Gaede, of Highland.