Original U.S. WWII 8th Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross Recipient Bombardier Lt. Joseph Sessions Jr. Uniform & Binder Grouping with Original Discharge Documents & Garrison Cap - Air Medal with 6 OLCs

Original Items. One-of-a-Kind Group. This is the tremendous uniform & ephemera binder of Bombardier First Lieutenant Joseph Sessions Jr., 551st Bombardment Squadron, 385th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, who was participated in 46 combat missions, and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters during the Second World War. One of the best pieces in the group is his original Army Air Corps Identification Card, dated October 2nd, 1943! A letter included in the accompanying binder reads “While serving as Bombardier on a B-17 “Flying Fortress”, Lt. Sessions by the expert use of his bombsight caused havoc and destruction on numerous high priority enemy targets. Operating continuously under the stress of adverse weather conditions, effective enemy smokescreens, fierce enemy ground fire and hostile fighter attacks, Lt. Sessions worked coolly and skillfully at his position producing admirable bombing results. Due to his excellent performance of duty, Lt. Sessions was chosen to fly as Section Lead Bombardier and proved to be highly successful in this capacity.”

Sessions’ uniform ike jacket bears a gorgeous bullion 8th Air Force patch on the left shoulder, and two overseas stripes on the left cuff. Notably, due to the pleating of the cuffs on this example, Sessions had to sew his overseas stripes over the pleat, which was an interesting choice. The jacket also has 1st Lieutenant bars on the shoulders, US & AAF Collar insignia, and a Presidential Unit Citation with an OLC over the right breast pocket. Over the left breast pocket is a 3-place ribbon bar with the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with one silver OLC, and the European African Middle Eastern campaign medal with four campaign stars. Over this is a great set of Sterling Bombardier wings. The interior shows a tag for the Boston Uniform Company of Charlestown, Massachusetts. 

Also included is his Army shirt and tie, along with a pair of trousers and belt. His garrison cap matches the jacket and has black & gold officer’s piping with a 1st Lieutenant bar to the side. It is marked Size 7 ⅛ with a contract date of February 23rd, 1944.

The included binder has a great variety of original cards and documents, including his Army Air Corps Identification Card, dated October 2nd, 1943, an extremely rare piece to find in any case. The binder also has his original discharge and separation paperwork which detail his entire service history, his 1960-dated Armed Forces ID card, a great colorized photo of him wearing his DFC ribbon, vaccination record, list of Operational missions from April 20th, 1944 to February 1st, 1945, his promotion certificate, and a couple other very interesting documents.

Joseph Sessions Jr. was born on June 3rd, 1917 in Oklahoma. He first enlisted in the Army on October 2nd, 1943, and quickly joined Bombardier school. He was assigned as a Bombardier in the 551st Bombardment Squadron, 385th Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force. He left for England on March 31st, 1944, arriving on April 7th. He flew his first combat mission on April 20th, 1944, over Noball. He flew a total of 46 missions over France and Germany, being awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal with 6 OLCs. After his first 25 missions, he was able to return to the United States from July 19th until September 10th, 1944, when he resumed his combat chronicle. He left England for the final time on March 27th, 1945, being relieved from active duty on June 23rd, 1945. He would remain in the Army and later the Air Force into the 1960s. He passed away on January 6th, 1969, at the age of 51.

This is an outstanding uniform & ephemera group to a DFC recipient, ready for display!