05/26/2026
It's Sebring Florida's World War II fighter pilot hero - United States Army Air Forces Major Thomas Buchanan McGuire, Jr. (1920-1945). He was born on August 01ST 1920 in Ridgewood New Jersey. After his parents separated when he was a kid - he and his mother moved to Sebring. He’s a graduate of Sebring High School - Class Of 1938.
During his fighter pilot days he flew his P-38 Lightning (nicknamed "Pudgy V") over the Pacific Ocean during World War II.
He was killed in action over the Philippines on January 07TH 1945 flying not his normal P-38, but a different P-38 that had stalled and crashed in a dogfight with a Japanese aircraft. He was trying to save a fellow wingman at the time. He is 1 of 24 Medal Of Honor recipients from Florida.
In addition to our own Tommy McGuire exhibit at our Charles F. Weigle House Museum & Grayce's Gift Shop - our friends over at the Florida Medal of Honor Memorial have a wonderful exhibit inside their Visitor's Center - as well as a memorial outside. Sebring Regional Airport also has an exhibit in their terminal building. He's also in the Florida Aviation Hall-Of-Fame exhibit at the Florida Air Museum at Lakeland International Airport.
