1st Daniel H. David (Dan Rowan)
5th Air Force (5th AF), 49th Fighter Group (49th FG), 8th Fighter Squadron (8th FS)
P-40 Warhawk Pilot

Background
Daniel Hale David was born July 22, 1922 in Beggs, Oklahoma to parents who were carnival workers and by an early age was singing and dancing as part of a touring carnival with his parents. By age eleven, his parents died and placed into an orphanage in Colorado until he was adopted by another family. After graduating high school, he hitchhiked to Los Angeles and began working at Paramount Studios in the mail room and worked his way up to become a junior writer. After the start of the Pacific War, he quit to join the military and went by the name Dan H. David.

Wartime History
On December 16, 1941 enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as an aviation cadet with serial number 19063671. He earned his wings and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant with serial number O-736143. Sent overseas to the South West Pacific Area (SWPA). Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 49th Fighter Group (49th FG), 8th Fighter Squadron (8th FS) as a fighter pilot flying the P-40 Warhawk. By September 1943 promoted to the rank of 1st Lieutenant.

On September 21, 1943 took off from Tsili Tsili Airfield piloting a P-40N Warhawk 42-104??? on a patrol mission to Hopoi. At 5:45pm an altitude of 10,000'-12,000', the P-40s intercepted three Japanese twin engine bombers, misidentified as "Bettys" [sic, Ki-49 Helen or Ki-21 Sally] over the Cromwell Mountains on the Huon Peninsula. During the interception, David claimed two bombers shot down as aerial victories. In fact, four Japanese bombers were lost that mission, two crashed and two missing.

On October 24, 1943 took off from Tsili-Tsilli Airfield piloting P-40N 42-104??? on a mission to strafe Japanese barges south of Madang. Hit by ground fire, this P-40 was damaged but reached the Watut Valley near Lae before the engine seized. Pilot David force landed near Hopoi and suffered a sprained back due to the landing.

Aerial Victory Claims
David was officially credited with two aerial victories on September 21, 1943. These were his only aerial victory claims.

Victory	Date	Location	Aircraft	Notes on claim
1	09/21/43	Cromwell Mountains	Betty [sic]	First aerial victory claim.
2	09/21/43	Cromwell Mountains	Betty [sic]	Second aerial victory claim.

Awards
David earned the Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) with Oak Leaf Cluster and Purple Heart for his wounds on October 24, 1943.

Postwar
When he returned to the United States, he returned to California and changed his name to Dan Rowan as his stage name in Hollywood. He teamed up with comedian Dick Martin and together they created the television comedy series "Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In" (1968-1973) and earned an Emmy Award for Outstanding Variety or Musical Series in 1969.

Memorials
On September 22, 1987 he passed away from lymphatic cancer in Siesta Key, Florida. He was cremated and has no grave or memorial marker.

References
NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Dan H. David
USAF Historical Study No. 85 USAF Credits For The Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II Alphabetical: David, Dan H. page 50 (PDF page 55)
FindAGrave - Dan Rowan (photos)
49th Fighter Group (1989) includes a photo of David with a P-40N Warhawk
Protect and Avenge (1995) pages 192, 208

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