Last Name:   
Haywood
Picture
First Name: 
Thomas C.
Nickname:  
Tom
Born/Died  
September 13, 1917 - April 1979
Hometown:
St. Paul, Minnesota
Squadron:
Third Pursuit
Position: 
Flight Leader
Victories
4 1/2
Decorations:
Chinese Cloud Banner
Pre AVG: Tom Haywood studied aeronautical engineering for three years at the University of Minnesota before joining the U.S. Marine Corps.  Accepted for flight training, he received his wings and commission as a second lieutenant in the USMC on July 15, 1940.  Assigned to VF-1M, he served with that squadron for one year before resigning his commission to go to China with the AVG.
AVG Service: Joining the AVG in the summer of 1941, Tom became a Flight Leader in the Third Pursuit Squadron.  He participated in the first massive air battles over Rangoon, Burma in December 1941, and flew combat thereafter in Burma and China.
Post AVG, WWII:
He returned to the States following the disbandment of the AVG in July 1942, and became a captain for Consairway Airlines ferrying B-24s between the United States and Australia.
Post War Career:
In 1945, Tom joined the newly-formed Flying Tiger Line and flew as a captain with FTL until his retirement.