Air Force Pilot, Edwin Douglas Reinhardt was born March 24, 1921 in Brecksville, Ohio. He attended Ohio University on an athletic scholarship for two years before enlisting in the US Army Air Corps as an Aviation Cadet in 1942.  The collection contains materials collected by and related to Edwin D. Reinhardt during his career as an Air Force Pilot and instructor. 

During WWII he achieved classification as an ‘Ace’ and received several medals including the Air Medal, Purple Heart and Distinguished Flying Cross. 

Following the war, he returned to complete his education and graduated from Ohio University in 1947. While there, he was an instructor pilot for the school. He met a fellow student there, Marilyn J. Martin, and they married soon after graduation. 

He was recalled to active duty during the Korean Conflict and was assigned as a flight instructor to F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, WY. He became a career Air Force officer, served in Vietnam and retired as a full Colonel in 1975. He passed away from cancer October 10, 1991. He is mentioned in the “P-47 Thunderbolt: The Jug” published by the P-47 Thunderbolt Pilots Association in 1981, and in “Jonah’s Feet are Dry”, the experience of the 353rd Fighter Group during WWII by G.E. Cross. 

Link to the collection's Finding Guide.

Link to the collection's images on Flickr.