John Walter Mchugo, P-51

Born Dec 16, 1923 in Barre, Vermont. Grew up as only child of Kathleen and Walter McHugo. His favorite winter activity was skiing and he put in many afternoon hours after school skiing and training in the hills that surround Hope Cemetery in Barre. He was nominated to Westpoint Academy but ended up enlisting in the service while in his 2nd year studying at Norwich University in Northfield. Married Patricia Bixby after the war. Moved from their hometown of Barre, Vermont to the Queen City of Burlington where he earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Vermont. Brought up 3 children while serving in the newly formed Vt National Air Guard. He thoroughly enjoyed over 7,000 hours of peacetime flying He had much respect for the maintenance crews and felt privileged to fly many different military jet fighter aircraft. He was divorced in July 1978 and moved to Tucson Az following his retirement in 1981. There he enjoyed a peaceful single life and had many hobbies. Among them were reading, playing tennis and going on long hikes in the foothills. He also made many friends while volunteering in the nearby Air Force base pharmacy. John died peacefully in Tucson on August 3, 2010.