Stone Gardens: Wisconsin-born WWII served on highly decorated US Army/Air Force Doolittle bombing crew

MSGT Theodore Henry Laban

Theodore Henry Laban, known as Ted, was born on July 13, 1914, in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He graduated from Kenosha High School in 1935

Not much is known about his early family life or parents, but he enlisted in the U.S. Army on October 12, 1935, and began his career as an infantryman. He transferred to the U.S. Army Air Corps on October 6, 1938, trained as an aircraft gunner, and qualified as a flight engineer in January 1940.

He served with the 95th Bomb Squadron at bases in California, Washington, and Oregon

.In early 1942, Laban volunteered for a secret high-risk mission. As a staff sergeant, he joined Crew 8 aboard B-25 Mitchell bomber number 40-2242. The crew included pilot Captain Edward J. York, co-pilot Lieutenant Robert G. Emmens, navigator and bombardier Lieutenant Nolan A. Herndon, and gunner Sergeant David W. Pohl.

On April 18, 1942, the bomber launched as the eighth aircraft from the USS Hornet. The mission targeted Tokyo, but modifications to the plane increased fuel consumption, and engine issues developed. After dropping three demolition bombs and one incendiary bomb over the city, the crew could not reach the planned landing sites in China.

They diverted to neutral Soviet territory and landed at Primorskrai Airfield near Vladivostok around 5:45 p.m.

The Soviets interviewed the crew briefly, provided food, and housed them overnight. The next day, they flew to Khabarovsk, where they met Soviet Far Eastern Army Commander General Stearn and stayed for 10 days.

Authorities informed them they were interned under the Geneva Convention. The crew then traveled by train to Penza for two and a half months, where U.S. Military Attaché Colonel Joe Michela visited them.

In March 1943, they moved to Okhansk and then to Ashkabad near the Iranian border. On May 29, 1943, after 13 months, they crossed into Mashhad, Iran, with assistance that some accounts describe as a staged escape arranged by Soviet authorities due to neutrality obligations. They reached the British Embassy in Tehran and returned to the United States.

For his service on the raid, Laban received the Distinguished Flying Cross. The citation notes that he volunteered knowing the chances of survival were remote and performed his duties with great skill and daring

. He also earned the Air Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters and the Chinese Army, Navy, and Air Corps Medal, Class A, First Grade.

After returning, Laban joined the 496th Bomb Squadron of the 344th Bomb Group at Hunter Field, Florida. He deployed to England in January 1944 as a flight engineer on B-26 Marauders and served in Europe until Germany's surrender in May 1945.

In the postwar years, he worked on B-29 Superfortress and B-36 Peacemaker bombers at bases in the Philippines, Guam, California, Maine, and Texas. His final assignment was with the 3513th Combat Crew Training Squadron at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. He retired as a master sergeant on November 30, 1956, due to physical disability after more than two decades of service.

After retirement, Laban earned a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering and worked as a research engineer. He married once after the war, but the marriage ended, and there were no children.

Later, after January 1962, he met Dortha Fae "Dot" Price at a dance class near Hot Springs, The couple maried but also had no children.

Laban spent his later years in Arkansas. He died on September 16, 1978, in Hot Springs at age 6. 4He was buried in the Highland Cemetery in Ozark dur to family ties of "Dot" in the region.

As one of the 80 Doolittle Raiders, Laban helped lift American morale after Pearl Harbor by proving Japan could be struck directly. The group received the Congressional Gold Medal in recognition of their service.

His path from wartime action and internment to a quieter life in a small Arkansas town reflects the experiences of many veterans who sought normalcy after years of duty. He remains honored in WWII histories, veteran tributes, and Raider commemorations.