| Memorial Corner O'Fallon, Illinois |
| January 2006 |
| Manley Eike Ensign, United States Navy +++ ca 1932—1955 |
| Otto Manley Eike, Jr. was the son of O. Manley and Lelia Eike, Sr. His father was a civil service employee at Scott Air Force Base and they lived at 506 N. Lincoln in O’Fallon. Manley, as he was known, graduated from O’Fallon Township High School in 1950 and attended McKendree College for two years. In June 1952, he entered training at the Naval Air Training Command in Pensacola, Florida. During his time there, he was chosen as a member of the Naval Aviation Cadet Drill team. He received his Navy “Wings of Gold” on December 3, 1953. In October 1954 he left for overseas duty in Japan and Okinawa. As a member of the 7th Fleet, he assisted in the evacuation of the Tachen Islands off the Chinese Coast in early February 1955 during the First Taiwan Strait Crisis. His duty as a naval aviator was to patrol the Formosa Straits for enemy submarines. He was based on the aircraft carrier USS Princeton. On February 20, 1955, while flying a mission over the Sea of Japan, his plane went down during a storm. He did not survive. Funeral services were held aboard the USS Princeton on March 10. He gave his life that we might live free! Memorial Corner flag raising, January 7, 2006 sponsored by the O’Fallon Woman’s Club biography and photo provided by the O’Fallon Historical Society |
