By Karen Lemon
Edwin Norman Armstrong
Meet Our Honor Roll: Edwin Norman Armstrong
Edwin Norman Armstrong was born to Robert J. Armstrong and Florence May Jackson on March 17, 1911, in Toronto, Canada. The family migrated to Detroit, Michigan, in 1925. Edwin signed up for the draft on October 16, 1940, and gave his address as 1761 John R RFD #1 Rochester, Michigan.
Edwin enlisted in the Army on April 8, 1941. His paperwork stated that he had one year of college and worked at Chrysler Corporation’s DeSoto Division in Detroit.
Staff Sergeant Edwin Armstrong shared with Rochester’s Jack A. Mason VFW Post No. 3908 that he made over 50 missions as a radioman on a bomber over the war fronts in Europe and Africa. Edwin also told of being shot down in France, captured, and imprisoned by the Germans. Six members of his crew were killed and three survived the crash, including Edwin. Sadly, one of the survivors died from his injuries soon after.
They escaped the German prison camp and were hidden by French farmers, who helped retrieve the plane’s radio, which they used to contact headquarters in England. Soon, a plane landed in a large wheat field, retrieving the two soldiers to England. After that, Edwin was sent home on a medical discharge from the service.
After his time in the Army, he married Jean Jane Kaczynski on February 2, 1946, and they had two sons. Edwin trained as a heating contractor and eventually owned his own heating company.
Edwin Norman Armstrong died at the age of 63 on May 13, 1975.