1st Lt. Marion C. Lutes
U.S. Army Air Force, 5th Air Force, 312th Bomb Group, 387th Bomb Squadron

Background
Marion Carter Lutes was born in 1915 the only child of parents Frederick "Fred" Homer Lutes and and Ruby "Laura" Love Carter Lutes in Durant, Bryan County, Oklahoma. Growing up, known by his middle name Carter. He graduated high school then attended the University of Oklahoma and was a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) fraternity.

Wartime History
On January 22, 1942 in Oklahoma City, OK enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as an aviation cadet with serial number 18096121. After graduating flight school he earned his wings and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant with serial number O-665424. Sent overseas to the South West Pacific Area (SWPA). Assigned to the 5th Air Force (5th AF), 312th Bombardment Group (312th BG), 387th Bombardment Squadron (387th BS) as a pilot.

Mission HIstory
On April 29, 1944 at 2:15pm took took off piloting P-47D Thunderbolt 42-22687 on a test flight to fire the guns over Faita. After takeoff, no contact was made after take off. When he failed to return, Lutes was officially declared Missing In Action (MIA).

Wreckage
During 1979, the crash site of his P-47 was discovered at an elevation of 8,200' near Nando and Tauta during "Operation Drake" by a group of student trekkers. When found, the cockpit canopy was in the closed position and no human remains were observed at the crash site.

During 1990, a team from U.S, Army CILHI visited the crash site with National Museum & Art Gallery (NMAG) modern history curator Bruce Hoy. Later, during 1999, two other teams also surveyed the site. None of them found any remains or personal effects. Despite these visits, the crash site was never the subject of a dedicated search, and remained an unresolved MIA case.

Memorials
Marion Lutes was officially declared dead on February 7, 1946 but remains officially listed as Missing In Action (MIA). He is memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing. He also has a memorial marker at Highland Cemetery in Durant, OK at section 3, lot 0121.

References
Oklahoma State University 'Sooner' Yearbook 1937
NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records Marion C. Lutes
DPAA Service Personnel Not Recovered Following WWII for the ARMY AIR FORCE - Lutes, Marion C.
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Marion C. Lutes
FindAGrave - 1Lt Marion C Lutes (tablets of the missing)
FindAGrave - Marion Carter Lutes (memorial marker photo)

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