David F. Thwaites was an aviator in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II. He became a flying ace piloting the P-47 Thunderbolt as a member of the 361st Fighter Squadron of the 356th Fighter Group. Thwaites, based out of RAF Martlesham Heath in England was the second highest scoring pilot in his squadron, with six confirmed victories and the only pilot of the 356th FG to score all of his victories while serving with the group. He scored his victories using three different P-47s however he nicknamed them all Polly. Following the completion of his tour in September 1944 he returned to the United States and became an instructor.
Following the surrender of Germany, Thwaites was stationed in Germany and on August 19, 1946, while a member of the 396th Fighter Squadron/368th Fighter Group, his P-47 Thunderbolt was involved in an aerial collision in the vicinity of Borkum.
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“All men are partially buried in the grave of custom, and of some we see only the crown of the head above ground. Better are the physically dead, for they more lively rot. Even virtue is no longer such if it be stagnant. A man’s life should be constantly as fresh as this river. It should be the same channel, but a new water every instant.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)