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POST 7244

LT. MICHAEL J. LIBONATI JR.

World War I was the war to end all wars, but 33 years later the United States became entangled in World War II following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.

Again Vacaville’s young men, and women, were off to war. Among the hundreds in uniform from Vacaville was Michael Libonati Jr., a Vacaville native, and also the son of local area pioneer fruit growers.

Young Libonati, a graduate of Vaca High, had become a second lieutenant in the Air Force, and was to see unending service as a bombardier aboard a Flying Fortress on missions over Western Europe.

It was a sad day in January 1943 when the War Department notified the young man’s parents, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Libonati, that their son, 24, was missing in action over Western Europe.

For many weeks following, the bewildered mother, carried on correspondence in an attempt to ascertain the fate of her son. At one point she was given assurance by the boy’s squadron commander, that he was a prisoner of war of the Germans; but as time rolled on Mrs. Libonati was to receive word from another source verifying the death of her son, who was struck by flack while operating his guns in a Flying Fortress. The plane crashed behind enemy lines.

Source: http://articles.solanohistory.net/7130/

the film
The facts
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POST 7244

THE MISSION

The purposes of this corporation are fraternal, patriotic, historical, charitable, and educational, and are:

  1. to preserve and strengthen comradeship among the  its members;

  2. to assist worthy comrades;

  3. to perpetuate the memory and history of our dead, and to assist their surviving spouses and orphans;

  4. to maintain thru allegiance to the Government of the United States, and fidelity to its Constitution and laws;

  5. to foster true patriotism;

  6. to maintain and extend the institutions of America freedom;

  7. to preserve and defend the United States from all her enemies.

American Flags
The mission
POST 7244

PAST COMMANDERS

Jack Wood

1956-1957

George M. Cass

1957-1958

Arthur L. Smith

1958-1959

David M. Kuster

1959-1960

Benjamin S. Dodge

1960-1961

Danzil "Ed" Miller

1960-1962

Fred A. Stevens

1962-1963

Robert E. Riddle

1963-1965

George Matheson

1965-1966

Danzil "Ed" Miller

1966-1968

Robert C. McLaughlin

1968-1969

Wayne Ross

1969-1971

George Spicier

1971-1972

Kenneth Smith

1972-1974

Raul Trevino

1974-1975

Robert McLaughlin

1975-1976

Edwin Larson

1976-1977

Everleigh Waters

1978-1980

Allen H. Osnes

1980-1982

Raymond L. Darden

1982-1983

John Sportsman

1983-1985

Everleigh H. Waters

1985-1986

Ray Sayler

1986-1988

George Gutherie

1988-1989

H. Lee Tedder

1989-1991

Manual Blea

1991-1993

John E. Angier

1993-1995

Clyde Colburn

1995-1997

Robert Clark

1997-1999

Bill Near

1999-2001

Jake Germeraad

2001-2003

Wulfrano Corrington

2003-2005

John Sorrick

2005-2007

Richard Smith

2007-2009

Cordell Bailey

2009-2011

Paul Hulburt

2011-2014

Bob Vigil

2014-2016

Paul Hulburt

2016-2017

Mike Little

2017-2020

Al Guerra

2020-2021

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