Sponsored by:

Navy Federal Credit Union
Michel
B.
Russell
April 21, 1917

–

February 21, 1951

Born:

Meridian

, 

Mississippi

Home:

Birmingham

, 

Alabama

Buried: 

Honolulu

, 

Hawaii

Cemetery:

National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific (Courts of the Missing)

After earning a Silver Star as a Sergeant during the Battle of Midway in World War II, Michel Russell returned home and received his commission as a second lieutenant. He returned to combat as a pilot in Europe, where he was shot down and held as a prisoner of war for 15 months. Flying combat again during the Korean War, he was shot down and listed as “missing in action.”

Awards Received

  • Prisoner of War Medal

    Service:

    United States Army Air Forces

    Rank:

    First Lieutenant (Air Corps)

    Division:

    Prisoner of War (Germany)

    Action Date:

    March 6, 1944 – May 1945

    First Lieutenant (Air Corps) Michel B. Russell (ASN: 0-747325), United States Army Air Forces, was captured by German forces after he was shot down on or about March 6, 1944and was held as a Prisoner of War until his return to U.S. Military Control at the end of hostilities in May 1945.

  • Silver Star

    Service:

    United States Army Air Forces

    Rank:

    Sergeant

    Batallion:

    431st Bombardment Squadron

    Regiment:

    11th Bombardment Group (H)

    Division:

    7th Air Force

    Action Date:

    June 3, 1942
    Headquarters, VII Bomber Command, General Orders No. 62 (July 30, 1942)

    The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Sergeant Michel B. Russell (ASN: 7003746), United States Army Air Forces, for gallantry in action as a combat crew member of a United States B-17 Flying Fortress Bomber in the 431st Bombardment Squadron, 11th Bombardment Group (Heavy), SEVENTH Air Force, in the Battle of Midway between 3 and 7 June 1942. The gallant actions and dedicated devotion to duty demonstrated by Sergeant Russell, without regard for his own life, were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself and the United States Army Air Forces.