Joseph Ernest Trojan

© Enid News and Eagle

02-28-2008

Submitted by: Jo Aguirre

© Glenn

The funeral for retired Air Force Col. Joseph Ernest “Jay” Trojan, 87, of Houston, will be 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Joseph Catholic Church, Bison. Burial will be in Bison Cemetery. Arrangements are by Henninger-Allen Funeral Home. Visitation will be 5 to 7 p.m. Friday at the funeral home.

He was born Feb. 23, 1921, in Bison, to Joseph F. and Blanche K. Trojan and died Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008.

He attended St. Gregory’s College in Shawnee and St. Benedict’s College in Atchison, Kan. He earned a bachelor of general education degree from the University of Omaha in 1962 and a master’s of science degree in international studies from George Washington University in 1968.

He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1941, serving 30 years. During World War II, he served in the 303rd Bomb Group H of the Eighth Air Force, stationed in Molesworth, England. He flew nearly 25 missions, including the first daylight raid on Germany. On May 29, 1943, his B-17 bomber was shot down on its return from a raid over St. Nazaire, France. He was a prisoner of war for two years, including detention in Stalag Luft III. Following the war, he continued his service in the Strategic Air Command. He was in charge of, and flew in, Airborne Command Post flights from 1959 to 1963, and served as wing commander of the 16th Air Force Strategic Air Command at Torrejon Air Base, Madrid, Spain, from 1963 to 1966. He was highly decorated, receiving several medals including the Purple Heart. He retired from active duty as planning and program director of Air War College in 1971.

Following retirement, he founded and administered Air Force Junior ROTC program at J. Frank Dobie High School in Pasadena, Texas, for eight years. He served as president of Retired Military Officers Association in Houston and was a member of Knights of Columbus of Texas Council 4550.

He married Blandina Adair Neathery Aug. 29, 1942. She died Feb. 14, 1985.

Surviving are two daughters, Linda Adair Juba and Mary Kathryn Basye; one sister, Anne Trojan Davis; three grandsons; and four great-grandchildren.

In addition to his wife, Blandina, he was preceded in death by one brother and a grandson.

Memorials may be made through the funeral home to American Cancer Society or United Cerebral Palsy Foundation.

Condolences may be made online at www.enidwecare.com.

|Bison Cemetery Page|  |Garfield County Cemetery Page|  |Home|

---

This site may be freely linked, but not duplicated in any way without consent.
All rights reserved! Commercial use of material within this site is prohibited!
© 2000-2024 Oklahoma Cemeteries

The information on this site is provided free for the purpose of researching your genealogy. This material may be freely used by non-commercial entities, for your own research, as long as this message remains on all copied material. The information contained in this site may not be copied to any other site without written "snail-mail" permission. If you wish to have a copy of a donor's material, you must have their permission. All information found on these pages is under copyright of Oklahoma Cemeteries. This is to protect any and all information donated. The original submitter or source of the information will retain their copyright. Unless otherwise stated, any donated material is given to Oklahoma Cemeteries to make it available online. This material will always be available at no cost, it will always remain free to the researcher.