Notes on USAF Capt. (Ret.) Jonita Ruth Bonham Bovée (1922-1994):

 
Bonham was born in 1922, in Bennington, Oklahoma, and joined the Army Air Corps, where she was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant in the Medical Corps. She served in the Philippines and Japan after World War II, and then returned to the United States, resigning from active military duty. When the Korean War broke out she rejoined the military, this time as a 1st Lieutenant in the United States Air Force. Bonham logged 245 flight hours and helped in the evacuation of over 600 wounded men.

On September 26, 1950, she was serving as a flight nurse with another nurse, Capt. Vera Brown, in a C54 cargo plane that had been converted into an emergency hospital. Bonham and Brown were two of three medical team members on the flight that day she learned that she was needed for an immediate evacuation flight. The weather was severe, but the medical crew, along with about 40 soldiers, boarded the Douglas C-54 Skymaster that was bound for Kimpo Air Base near Seoul, South Korea. The plan was to drop the soldiers off at the base and evacuate more wounded men. About a half-mile from shore the plane stalled, descended, and slammed into the Sea of Japan, breaking into three pieces and sinking.

Bonham, who was completely submerged in the aircraft, managed to fight her way to the surface, where she found herself swimming for her life in a sea churned up by high winds. She hung onto a floating barracks bag until she was able to grab a life raft rope. She stayed in the water, grabbing other survivors and guiding them to the rope. It was not until 17 of them were safe that she allowed herself to be pulled into one of two available rafts.

Once rescued, Bonham spent nine months in the hospital recovering from a fractured skull, broken wrist, cheekbone, shoulder and six broken ribs. She later became the first female recipient of the Distinguished Flying Cross and was later promoted to Captain.

General George Stratemeyer, Commander of the Far East Air Forces, presented Bonham will her Distinguished Flying Cross on October 18, 1950, while Bonham was recovering from skull surgery at the 49th Army Hospital in Tokyo, Japan. 

Distinguished Flying Cross Citation: 

"First Lieutenant Jonita R. Bonham performed meritorious service and distinguished herself while acting as Flight Nurse in medical air evacuation flights totaling one hundred (170) hours from 25 July to 26 September 1950. Lieutenant Bonham flew in unarmed cargo type aircraft. On many occasions these aircraft were operating into and out of advance airfields which were being subjected to enemy fire; transporting ammunition, rockets, bombs and other types of high explosives and inflammable material, under adverse weather conditions and over hazardous terrain. Despite these conditions, Lieutenant Bonham carried out her missions willingly and without complaint, continually comforting and caring for her patients. By her courage, ability and unselfish devotion to duty, Lieutenant Bonham has reflected great credit upon herself, her profession and the United States Air Force."

Photo: Capt. Jonita R. Bonham, after her hair grew back and you can just see the scar on her right cheek.