Her parents named her Kathryn Louise Lloyd when she was born in Huntingdon Co, Pennsylvania. Her father was Harry Richard Lloyd Sr. and Pearl Alice Watson Lloyd, both of Huntingdon, PA.

She was the third child in the family, born after her older sister Elizabeth “Betty” Jane Lloyd Taylor and older brother, Harry Richard Lloyd. A younger brother came along three years after Kathryn, and he was named John Frederick Lloyd.[i] John Lloyd was a lieutenant and a fighter pilot stationed at Andrew’s Field in Washington during the war.[ii]

In 1930, her family was living in Harrisburg, PA, where her dad was the plant inspector for a telephone company. She attended the William Smith School in Huntingdon[iii]. Kathryn graduated from John Harris High School in Harrisburg in 1938.[iv]

By 1940, at the age of 19, Kathryn is a student nurse.[v] In 1941, she is a class officer, treasurer, of the Intermediate Class at nursing school.[vi]She graduated from Harrisburg Hospital School of Nursing[vii] on September 18, 1942.[viii] At the ceremony, Kathryn was awarded a $10 prize for the Highest Average in Pediatric Nursing.[ix]

It was a busy day for the family at their Holly Street home in Harrisburg. On the evening of graduation day, the family celebrated the wedding of older sister, Betty, and Kathryn was her attendant.[x] By newspaper accounts, Kathryn wore a gold wool ensemble with brown accessories and a corsage of off-pink gladioli.

HER MILITARY STORY

Three months after her capping, a service in which a graduate nurse receives a nurse’s cap[xi], Kathryn enlisted in January 20, 1943. Her service number was N-759905. She received her basic training at St. Petersburg, Florida.[xii]

In June of 1944, Kathryn was promoted to First Lieutenant while serving as a nurse at Woodward Army Air Field in Woodward, Oklahoma.[xiii]

First Lieutenant Lloyd served in the Army Nurse Corps with the 172nd Hospital Unit,[xiv] 69th Hospital Group.[xv] She served in several hospitals, including Bushnell Military Hospital in Brigham City, Utah[xvi], before flying to the west coast of India for foreign duty, The Evening News in Harrisburg reported.

In 1944, she became engaged to Lt. John M. Martin of Pasadena, California, with the news making her home state newspaper the Harrisburg Telegraph. They were married sometime in 1944[xvii]. Lt. John M. Martin graduated from Pasadena Junior College and attended Stanford University.[xviii] He was an Instructor Pilot in the Army Nurses Corps and stationed at Fort Sumner Army Airfield.[xix]

In January of 1945, she was assigned to a hospital on the west coast of India and traveled by plane to the Ledo Road institution.[xx]

HER LAST DAY- March 4, 1945

On her last flight, she was in route from a hospital along the Ledo road to a new assignment[xxi] in the India-Burma Theater to care for wounded in Imphal.[xxii] Her Douglas C-47 Skytrain (#41-18554), assigned to Air transport Command, 11th Combat Cargo Squadron,[xxiii] took off from Dinjan Army Airfield in Assam, India on a mission to ferry passengers. The plane came in too low during the last turn in the process of landing and crashed. Twenty-five passengers, including Kathryn, plus the crew of two were killed. Most of the passengers were Army nurses and medical personnel.[xxiv]

She was 24 years old.

COMMENDATIONS[xxv]

Nurse Corps Badge

World War II Victory Medal

American Campaign Medal

Army Presidential Unit Citation

Army Good Conduct Medal

Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal[xxvi]

HER GRAVE

Kathryn L. Lloyd was buried temporarily in the American Military Cemetery at Kalaikunda, India. Her body was returned to the United States in 1948 aboard the ship Cardinal O’Connell which docked in San Francisco[xxvii]. A military funeral service was held at the Kimmel Funeral Home and arrangements were completed by American Legion Post 27 and its Auxiliary. [xxviii]She is buried at Bowling Green Memorial Park in Camp Hill, PA.[xxix]

LIST OF THOSE KILLED IN THE MARCH 4, 1945 LEDO, INDIA AIR CRASH

Capt. John J. Lukaszczyk, Co-Pilot
Capt. Nicholas J. Mandoukos, Pilot
1st Lt. Walter S. Amsler, Jr.
2nd Lt. Francis W. Blalock
2nd Lt. Julia S. Barnes
2nd Lt. Jane M. Blevins
2nd Lt. Evelyn M. Bruton
2nd Lt. Thomas E. Dellinger
2nd Lt. Rita F. Erard
2nd Lt. Evelyn M. Gerdrum
2nd Lt. Lyndell A. Glisson
1st Lt. Henry D. Hammack, Jr.
2nd Lt. Eathel L. Harris
2nd Lt. Helen J. Henley
1st Lt. Catherine M. Larkin
2nd Lt. Joseph R. Launier
1st Lt. Kathryn L.Lloyd
Capt. Charles W. Loucks
1st Lt. Grady A. Masters
2nd Lt. Kathryn L. McCarthy
2nd Lt. Ann L. Merrill
2nd Lt. Genevieve R. Monahan
Capt. Edward R. Moore
2nd Lt. Mayo C. Onken
Lt. Col. Jack P. Scott
Leona A. Thomey, Civilian, Red Cross
1st Lt. Robert W. Tibbetts

ABOUT THIS STORY

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see

www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.