LaVerne G. Saunders

LaVerne G. Saunders
Nickname(s)	Blondie
Born	(1903-03-21)21 March 1903 Stratford, South Dakota, United States
Died	16 November 1988(1988-11-16) (aged 85) Aberdeen, South Dakota, United States
Buried	Sacred Heart Cemetery, Aberdeen, South Dakota
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1928–1947
Rank	Brigadier General
Commands	XX Bomber Command VII Bomber Command 11th Bombardment Group 23rd Bombardment Squadron
Battles/wars	World War II
Awards	Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit (2) Silver Star Bronze Star Medal Navy Cross Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal Commendation Ribbon Purple Heart (2)

LaVerne George Saunders (21 March 1903 – 16 November 1988) was a brigadier general in the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. A 1928 graduate of the West Point, he was an assistant coach of the college football team there from 1931 to 1939. He commanded the 11th Bombardment Group during the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the Guadalcanal campaign. In November 1942 the bomber he was in was shot down and he ditched in the sea. In 1944 he commanded the 58th Bombardment Wing, and he led the bombing mission against Yawata, the first attack on Japan since the Doolittle Raid in 1942. He was involved in a plane crash in September 1944, and spent two and a half years in hospital before retiring in February 1947.