Honoring History Through Generosity

We are honored to share a remarkable collection of photographs and artifacts recently donated by the family of Lt. Col. Francis Henry Balboni, a distinguished WWII pilot. This extraordinary gift offers an intimate glimpse into the life, service, and legacy of a hero who played a vital role in shaping history. The donation includes "rare wartime photographs, pilot's bag, flight logs", each telling a unique story of courage, dedication, and sacrifice. We extend our deepest gratitude to his daughter Lisa Balboni for entrusting us with these treasures, ensuring they will be preserved and appreciated fo generations to come.

 

Life of an American Pilot: Francis Henry Balboni

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Massachusetts, on June 19, 1918, to Francesco Balboni and Celinia Gilli, of Cento di Ferrara, Italy. As a young boy, Francis was enamored with flight. He would make airplanes out of old pieces of wood and followed everything in the news that dealt with flight.

 

When he finished high school, he joined the workforce at Pratt & Whitney, where airplanes were made in Massachusetts. He joined the US Army’s Air Corps Division from that passion.

 

Lieutenant Balboni joined the ranks during World War II as a co-pilot and then a pilot. He flew many missions and accomplished himself as a formidable pilot, such that he received the Distinguished Flying Cross while he was a young lieutenant. He flew on the "Feather Merchant," which bombed German industrial centers. He was noted for his extraordinary achievement on that particular mission.

 

Balboni also served in the African campaign and worked relentlessly in the European theater. His missions took him all over Europe, where he met his wife, Katalin Piroska Veres, who was a Hungarian refugee. They married in England and stayed there for four years.

After World War II, Lieutenant Balboni earned his clusters as a major and settled up north in the United States for a brief period of time. He was then awarded the task of being the commander of the 306th Bomb Wing Squadron, based out of McCoy Air Force Base in Orlando, Florida. The 306 was the home of the B-52 Bombers. That assignment had him traveling to parts of Japan, the Philippines, and Egypt.

 

Accordingly, he also was awarded more medals for his diligence in those jobs.

Major Balboni ended his military career with the United States Air Force in 1967 and retired with distinction as a Lieutenant Colonel.

 

As flight was in his blood and he could never really stay away, he worked as a contractor for NASA with the Bendix Corporation. He had his hand in the missions of Apollo 8, the Dark Side of the Moon, and Apollo 11’s famous moon mission.

 

Lt. Col. Balboni died in 1990 in his home in Orlando, Florida, surrounded by his family and his precious memories of a well-lived life.

 

Photos and  items kindly donated to the Association Benach by his daughter Lisa Balboni.