Col. Alva “Poppo” M. Hoover Jr.

by Shaun Toutant
(woodsavenuedigital@gmail.com)

When I was young I asked my grandfather why he was awarded the Purple Heart.

In World War Two, Lt. Al Hoover Jr. was a pilot. His heroic actions saved the lives of the entire crew.

After a successful mission, the 513th Squadron came under fire. They were being pursued by enemy fighter planes. Suddenly, Al could not steer the massive B-24 liberator bomber. A wing was hit!

Co-Pilot Daniel Mannen and Navigator Victor Cerelli tried to stay on course.
As the rest of the crew returned fire, Al climbed the inside the wing to try and fix it.

Amazingly, he reconnected a cable to control the flaps and climbed back into the cockpit.

Their bomber was hit again, this time Al had been shot in the leg.

He managed to keep flying, made it back to base and landed safely.

Thank you for your service, Poppo. We will always remember you.