Sebring High to recognize alumnus who became W.W. II hero

A World War II hero won the Medal of Honor for downing 38 enemy aircraft.

Some may have heard of U.S. Army Air Corp. Maj. Thomas McGuire's bravery during the war but may not know that he's from Sebring and graduated from Sebring High School in 1938.

A local teacher is trying to change that.

"Being in the military myself, I was kind of surprised ... that it's really odd that there is nothing here, with the exception of Medal of Honor Park, that ties McGuire to Sebring," Sebring High School History teacher Tim Boulay said.

The park is located adjacent to the Highlands County Health Department at South George Boulevard, Sebring.

"That to me was the biggest travesty that no one even knows or remembers or is here to say anything about what he did," Boulay added.

McGuire risked his life for fellow pilots on being ambushed by enemy aircraft even after his ammunition ran out.

His Medal of Honor citation states that he fought bravely while fighting over Luzon, the Philippine Islands, while flying a P-38 on Dec. 25 and 26, 1944.

On Jan. 7, 1945, while leading a voluntary fighter sweep over Los Negros Island (a Japanese base at the time), he risked an extremely hazardous maneuver at low altitude to save a fellow flyer from attack, crashed, and was reported missing in action, the citation adds.

Boulay has organized an event scheduled for 2 p.m. April 20 in the Sebring High gymnasium to educate and inform students about McGuire's legacy.

Charles A. Martin, author of McGuire's biography, "The Last Great Ace," will speak to students and present new information and artifacts from McGuire's airplane wreckage he obtained this past year. Martin is also a Sebring High graduate.

McGuire Air Force Base in New Jersey is named after him.