Maurice Travis Lawhorne Circle

Maurice Travis Lawhorne Circle. (13 April 1922 - 11 February 2007). One of the major components of the National D-Day Memorial, Lawhorne Circle, named for Lieutenant Maurice T. Lawhorne, Army Air Force, recognizes the service and contributions of the Allied Air Forces in support of the Normandy landing and Operation Overlord. Like most of the men and women who served in the Allied Forces, Lieutenant Lawhorne was a citizen-soldier. Speaking of such people shortly before the memorial’s dedication, he remarked simply, “We had a job to do. We did it.” , , Drawn to the air as a boy, he set his sights on becoming a pilot. Between the time he began training as an aviation cadet in 1943 and qualified as a primary pilot in 1945. He flew thirty-two missions as a B-24 Bombardier with the 330th Bombardment Squadron, 93rd Bombardment Group, Eighth Air Force. Lieutenant Lawhorne’s twenty-third mission was in direct support of the assault on Normandy, during which his aircraft passed through curtains of flak to drop ten 500-pound bombs targeting enemy bunkers. , , His awards and decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Air Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, and European African Middle Eastern Service Medal. They are a reflection of the valor, fidelity, and sacrifice that informed his performance of duty, a modest man, he spoke of his service thus: “If you were a real American and loved your country, you were proud to do it.” , , Given in loving memory by Edith Brooks Lee , By resolution of the Board of Directors of the National D-Day Memorial Foundation on 2 May 2008, Maurice Travis Lawhorne Circle of the National D-Day Memorial is named in tribute to him.