Philip Reed Adair

Colonel Philip Reed Adair, U.S. Air Force, was born 16 April 1920 in Tuttle, Oklahoma. After graduating high school in Walters, OK, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in January 1942. Completing pilot training, he joined the 80th Fighter Group’s 89th Fighter Squadron, known as the "Burma Banshees," serving in the China-Burma-India theater during World War II.

Adair piloted P-40s and later P-47s, flying 139 combat missions against Japanese forces between June 1943 and November 1944. His P-40N Warhawk fighter, the “Lulu Belle,” became part of his legend. On 13 December 1943, returning from a combat mission, Lieutenant Adair single-handedly surprised and attacked a formidable enemy flight formation of 24 bombers and 40 fighters. Alone, he repeatedly dove through enemy lines, disrupting their attack and forcing premature bomb releases, until his own plane was severely damaged. His courageous and selfless actions caused the enemy to miss their targets. He was awarded the Silver Star Medal for gallantry. Adair’s other awards include two Legions of Merit; two Distinguished Flying Crosses; three Air Medals; and two Presidential Unit Citations.

On 21 May 1944 Adair’s four Burma Banshee P-47s landed at Burma’s Myitkyina Airfield, Myanmar, newly-captured by Merrill’s Marauders, who protected the Banshee fighter pilots that day. Later, Adair mused that there was likely no relationship closer than this band of pilots and troops battling on the ground.

After WWII ended, Adair’s military assignments included: Commander of a Fighter Interceptor Squadron; Chief of Weapons Branch at Air Force Headquarters; Chief of Military Advisory groups in Belgium/Luxembourg and Taiwan; and Special Assistant to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Personnel at Bolling Air Force Base, Washington, D.C. Colonel Adair retired in 1971 with 30 years of service. He passed away on 13 May 2017 and rests at Quantico National Cemetery, Triangle, Virginia.

Yarnhub, an animated film studio that produces films about history, features two videos about Phillip Reed Adair’s action in the World War II Pacific Theater.