Corporal Leland D. Faktor

His father was Louis Faktor and his mother Rose Faktor, born Cinkie.  He had 2 brothers (Marvin and Leroy) and one sister named Juantia.

Leland Faktor was born on a farm one and one-half miles NW of Plymouth, Iowa. He was born in Worth county; Iowa which is sepatrated by a road from Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. He was the second son born to Lou and Rose Faktor. As a little boy, he played and fished in the creek that was on his father's farm. When he was old enough to work, his fahter bought him a bicycle so he had transportation to help other farmers in the area. Hebecame interested in flying and planes and had a friend who owned a Waco plane. On Sundays he would go flying with his friend and he lovedthe freedom and thrill of being in the skies. He attended and graduated from Plymouth High School in 1940. To be able to fly he enlisted in Aircorps on 8 August 1940 with  the intentionof becoming a pilot. He was stationed at Chanute Field in Rantoul.

Faktor was KIA after bailed out of the plane “Whiskey Pete” on 18 April 1942. Supposedly he fell off a rock in Suichang county. His parachute had also only partially opened. In fact it is unknown what exactly happened to him after bailing out. Buried in Wan Tseun in the Zehjian province. His grave was hide for the Japanese occupying forces. Later, after the war he was reburried in Mason City, Iowa.

As said Faktor was buried in China in Wan Tseun, a small village about 450 miles or 725 km southeast of Shangai and reburied in the USA since 27 April 1949. His grave was refound in 1947 - Leland Dale Faktor was identified through a golden ring and brazelet with his name on. During the Japanes occupation of parts of China his grave was hide for the Japanese troops in that region.

THIS IS THE CHINESE VERSION OF THE STORY OF THE DEATH OF FAKTOR

There is/was a Faktor Hall on Chanute Air Force Base in Illinois since 1978. However this base is abandoned now. The base was established in 1917 and close in 1993.  On May 22, 1917, a contract was signed for the construction of Chanute Field with English Brothers Construction of Champaign. The original airfield was built exactly two months later, on July 22, 1917, utilizing a workforce of 2,000 people and 200 horses. 

These days the base is abandoned.

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The Faktor Hall in 1981

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The Faktor Hall today ; 

 The airfield was named after Octave Chanute. On https://www.abandonedspaces.com/uncategorized/chanute.html?chrome=1&Exc_D_LessThanPoint002_p1=1  you find an article and pictures.

By April 1941, Faktor volunteered when commanders of the 17th Bombardment Group and 89th Reconnaissance Squadron came looking for men willing to serve on “an extremely hazardous mission…of great value to the war effort.” In all, 24 crews consisting of 70 officers and 130 enlisted airmen mustered at Eglin Air Field on March 3, 1942, where Faktor and others first met the charismatic commander Jimmy Doolittle before embarking on a hectic training regime.