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Tommy McGuire

#HistoryTuesday - Tuesday August 04TH 2026

It's Sebring Florida's World War II fighter pilot hero - United States Army Air Forces Major Thomas Buchanan McGuire, Jr. (1920-1945).

He was born 106 years ago this week on August 01ST 1920 in Ridgewood New Jersey. After his parents separated when he was a kid - he and his mother moved to Sebring. He’s a graduate of Sebring High School - Class Of 1938. #BlueStreaks

During his fighter pilot days he flew his P-38 Lightning (nicknamed "Pudgy") over the Pacific Ocean during World War II. (There were actually 5 different aircraft he named "Pudgy" over the course of less than 2 years.)

He was killed in action over the Philippines on January 07TH 1945 flying not his normal P-38, but a different P-38 that he borrowed from a fellow pilot. That P-38 unfortunately stalled, rolled over, and crashed after a dogfight with a Japanese aircraft. He was trying to save a fellow wingman at the time. He is 1 of 24 Medal Of Honor recipients from Florida.

In addition to our own Tommy McGuire exhibit at our Charles F. Weigle House Museum & Grayce's Gift Shop - our friends over at the Florida Medal of Honor Memorial have a wonderful exhibit inside their Visitor's Center - as well as a memorial outside. Sebring Regional Airport also has an exhibit in their terminal building. He's also in the Florida Aviation Hall-Of-Fame exhibit at the Florida Air Museum at Lakeland International Airport.

In June 1944 Charles Lindbergh met Tommy McGuire in New Guinea. Mr. Lindbergh was there as a civilian technical consultant for Lockheed P-38 Lightning fighter planes. He assisted Tommy and others on how to maximize fuel efficiency and flight range. He and Tommy flew missions together.