When United States Army Air Forces ( USAAF ) Chief of Staff Henry H. `` Hap '' Arnold proposed to George Marshall in October 1942 that an Army man be named supreme commander for the whole Allied effort in the Pacific , suggesting Douglas MacArthur , Lesley McNair or airman military.military_service T. McNarney for the position , Marshall without comment passed the request to his staff for analysis .

Henry Eugene `` Red '' Erwin , Sr. , ( May 8 , 1921 – January 16 , 2002 ) was a United States Army Air Forces airman military.military_service a recipient of the U.S. military 's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in World War II .

Elizabeth Nicole `` Liz '' Jacobson ( March 26 , 1984September 28 , 2005 ) was a United States Air Force airman military.military_service was killed in action in the Iraq War in 2005 .

Harry George Armstrong ( February 17 , 1899 – February 5 , 1983 ) was a Major General in the United States Air Force , a physician , and an airman military.military_service

Jan Nowak-Jeziorański together with an RAF airman military.military_service Ward conducted English-language broadcasts .

The last surviving veteran of the battle , Henry Allingham , a British RAF ( originally RNAS ) airman military.military_service died on 18 July 2009 , aged 113 , by which time he was the oldest documented man in the world and one of the last surviving veterans of the whole war .

Walter Arnold GC ( 30 August 1906 – 12 March 1988 ) was a recipient of the Empire Gallantry Medal ( later exchanged for the George Cross ) and a Royal Air Force airman military.military_service