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RIP James Hare 'Wicked Wabbit'

K

kryptosdaddy

Active member
Mr. Hare passed on Monday June 10, 2013 here in Columbia SC. He was 97 years young. I am good friends with his son James, and just before Mr. Hare's unexpected death James entrusted me with some of his dad's personal notes and books detailing his career in the 57th fighter group. He was a great old guy and kept his mind and his wits until his untimely passing.

The family will release an official notice on Sunday and I will post that here then, on Father's Day.

Sorry I cannot shorten a link! Mr Hare's P-47 the 'Wicked Wabbit' has been a topic of several builds of the P-47 D. And sadly some of the pictures I have that were taken during the war by Mr. Hare himself have proven some of the model builders a bit mistaken. This is why JC entrusted me with the notes and pictures taken by his father. He wants a P-47 done according to his dad's old Kodachromes. And I would be a fool not to oblige.

https://www.google.com/search?q=wicked+wabbit+p+47&client=firefox-a&hs=Cpb&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:eek:fficial&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=ykK6Uen1FISc9gST3IHQCA&ved=0CCwQsAQ&biw=1280&bih=582



RIP MR Hare, the world is a lesser thing without you. CR
 
Thanks guys, here he was back then. This is before the logo was finished....his sister drew the original artwork and that drawing still exists...

31.jpg


And at a recent airshow beside a replica of his plane and the pilot that flew it.

Hare.jpg


I had the privilege of meeting him several times. He was a really cool old guy and loved to tell stories of his times in the Med. He took literally hundreds of pics during his deployment. JC said it was OK to share so I'll start soon. These came from online. CR
 
Here is his notice as it appeared in the State today- RIP Mr. Hare



Colonel James Clark Hare (USAF Ret) 2/28/16 - 6/10/13 WEST COLUMBIA - James Clark Hare, of West Columbia SC, died peacefully in his sleep on June 10, 2013. He was born in New Brookland (now West Columbia), on 2/28/16, one of seven children born to Blanche and Sidney Hare. He graduated from Brookland-Cayce High School in 1934. He was an Eagle Scout with over 50 merit badges and was an avid ham radio operator. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps on 9/16/41 and earned his pilot wings in March 1943. He met Grace (Saladino) Hare in Manhattan; they were engaged in Japan and married in Manhattan on August 2, 1953. He earned a BS in Air Science from the University of Utah in 1957. During his career with the US Air Force he flew several types of military aircraft, including P-40s, P-47Ds, P- 51 Mustangs, F-84Es, F-86s, F-100s and F-4Cs. He was a veteran of WWII, Korea and Viet Nam. During WWII he was stationed in Italy and on the island of Corsica, where his squadron ran strafing and skip bombing runs, and occasional air-to air encounters with the enemy. He flew a total of 193 combat missions over Italy, Germany, and Yugoslavia. In June 1950, he flew his squadron of F-84s to England during the outbreak of hostilities in Korea. The 20th Fighter Group was the only USAF fighters in the UK to protect our SAC bombers. In 1953 he was stationed in Korea, where he did 3 tours of duty and flew 34 combat missions. From 1959-1960 he was stationed in Saigon, Viet Nam serving with the Military Air Advisory Group. He had many temporary duty stations and was one of several squadron commanders at Homestead AFB during the Cuban missile crisis. After the crisis was over he and all the squad commanders met President Kennedy and his military Chiefs of Staff. In 1960 he was promoted to Colonel (full) and assigned to Nellis AFB, where he was Commandant of the Fighter Weapons School. The last station was Headquarters, 9th Air Force at Shaw AFB, South Carolina. He received numerous decorations and awards during his military career. After retiring from the USAF he worked for Vocational Rehabilitation in Disability Determination Services. He retired in June 1981 and from October 1988 - September 1993 he hiked the entire 2114 miles of the Appalachian Trail with two brothers and a nephew. He enjoyed canoeing, gardening, camping and was a caregiver for his mother, sister and his beloved wife, Grace Hare, who predeceased him in November of 2007. He enjoyed reunions with his WWII 57th Fighter Group, and his squadron, the 65th "Fighting Cocks" and hosted one in Columbia in May 1996. He is survived by his daughter, Diane Hare, of West Columbia SC, his son JC Hare, of Columbia SC, his nephew KD Hare, of West Columbia SC and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins. The family appreciates their many family members, friends and caregivers for their support during this difficult time. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Appalachian Trail Conservancy Headquarters and Visitor Center 799 Washington Street P.O. Box 807 Harpers Ferry, WV 25425-0807, or a .

Published in The State on June 16, 2013
Print | View Guest Book

Read more here: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestate/obituary.aspx?n=james-c-hare&pid=165361368#storylink=cpy
 
Hi everyone. I'm new to this site, but am looking to communicate directly with "Kryposdaddy". I've not figured out how to PM yet. Anyway, my grandfather, Vern Coe, was the Crew Chief for (then Lt.) Hare's Wicked Wabbit. I'd like to ask you some questions.
After researching some of my Grandfather's memorabilia, I came across several models of the Wicked Wabbit. Some 30 years ago, when in high school, I was in to airplane model building. After seeing some of the work online, I'm thinking about getting back into it. I am lucky enough to have found some Decal sets for the Wicked Wabbit, buying several sets as I'm told they are out of print.
Thank you!
Chris S. (Dallas, TX)
 
Hey Chris! Welcome aboard! If you hover your cursor over the circle about the user name, you'll see a box that says start conversation. Click that and you can start your message. I haven't seen Chip online in a long while, but it's worth a try. Otherwise, I'm sure there's a few folks interested in your research. If you have any further questions, please ask. :vgood:
 
Iron Mike said:
Hey Chris! Welcome aboard! If you hover your cursor over the circle about the user name, you'll see a box that says start conversation. Click that and you can start your message. I haven't seen Chip online in a long while, but it's worth a try. Otherwise, I'm sure there's a few folks interested in your research. If you have any further questions, please ask. :vgood:
Click to expand...
Thank you!
 
Another of our Nation's heroes "went west". Condolences to the Hare family and friends. Thanks a lot for posting this news. :oldguy::salute:
 
Rhino said:
Another of our Nation's heroes "went west". Condolences to the Hare family and friends. Thanks a lot for posting this news. :oldguy::salute:
Click to expand...
Actually Chris, he went west back in 2013. CStrawbridge noticed this old post and brought it back to life.

CStrawbridge said:
Hi everyone. I'm new to this site, but am looking to communicate directly with "Kryposdaddy". I've not figured out how to PM yet. Anyway, my grandfather, Vern Coe, was the Crew Chief for (then Lt.) Hare's Wicked Wabbit. I'd like to ask you some questions.
After researching some of my Grandfather's memorabilia, I came across several models of the Wicked Wabbit. Some 30 years ago, when in high school, I was in to airplane model building. After seeing some of the work online, I'm thinking about getting back into it. I am lucky enough to have found some Decal sets for the Wicked Wabbit, buying several sets as I'm told they are out of print.
Thank you!
Chris S. (Dallas, TX)
Click to expand...
Hi Chris! Welcome to the site! I restarted my model hobby back about 2011 or so. This is one of the most helpful and informative sites on the web. If you have any questions about a subject, someone (probably Sharkmouth) will come up with answers and information. Sharkmouth also has the nickname of "Information Overload". We are all here to share and help each other, so get to posting and getting involved.
 
CStrawbridge said:
Hi everyone. I'm new to this site, but am looking to communicate directly with "Kryposdaddy". I've not figured out how to PM yet. Anyway, my grandfather, Vern Coe, was the Crew Chief for (then Lt.) Hare's Wicked Wabbit. I'd like to ask you some questions.
After researching some of my Grandfather's memorabilia, I came across several models of the Wicked Wabbit. Some 30 years ago, when in high school, I was in to airplane model building. After seeing some of the work online, I'm thinking about getting back into it. I am lucky enough to have found some Decal sets for the Wicked Wabbit, buying several sets as I'm told they are out of print.
Thank you!
Chris S. (Dallas, TX)
Click to expand...
Welcome aboard Chris, Chip (Kryptosdaddy) hasn't been online in 7 years and considering the number of model shows we've been to in and around Columbia we haven't had any contact with him. Don't know what happened to him. I've attempted to contact him in the past but his yahoo email bounces.

Post your questions here, we have a great research team.
 
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