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<p>In this 1942 photo released by the U.S. Coast Guard, Lt. John A. Pritchard, Jr., and Petty Officer 1st Class Benjamin Bottoms prepare for a flight over the Greenland icebergs where they had successfully rescued two U.S. Army fliers. Pritchard and Bottoms died in an attempt to rescue a third man left stranded by the crash of a B-17 on an ice cap in 1942 when their single-engine plane went down in whiteout conditions. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn, will formally honor Pritchard, a 1938 graduate, on Friday, Nov. 7, 2014, when he will be inducted into its Hall of Heroes. (AP Photo/U.S. Coast Guard)</p>

<p>In this 1942 photo released by the U.S. Coast Guard, Lt. John A. Pritchard, Jr., and Petty Officer 1st Class Benjamin Bottoms prepare for a flight over the Greenland icebergs where they had successfully rescued two U.S. Army fliers. Pritchard and Bottoms died in an attempt to rescue a third man left stranded by the crash of a B-17 on an ice cap in 1942 when their single-engine plane went down in whiteout conditions. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy in New London, Conn, …

November 10, 2014

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Coast Guard honors rescue pilot
November 10, 2014 2:47 p.m.

Coast Guard honors rescue pilot

NEW LONDON, Conn.  — A World War II pilot whose lost plane has become the target of a stepped-up U.S. recovery effort in Greenland was honored Friday by the Coast Guard Academy, which commended him for heroism shown during daring rescue missions on the frozen tundra before the one that killed him in 1942.