Lt. Jack T. Laughlin

Born in Del Rio on Sept. 17, 1914, Jack Thomas Laughlin graduated from Del Rio High School and earned a degree from the University of Texas. In 1940, he joined the Army Air Corps and the following year received his pilot’s wings at Stockton, CA. On Jan. 29, 1942, during World War II, his B-17 Flying Fortress was shot down over the Java Sea in the Indonesian islands. The U.S. Army established an airfield in Del Rio that year, and citizens and officials requested it be named for Laughlin, the first Del Rio-born pilot killed in the war. Despite the official policy for naming bases, the idea prevailed, and in March 1943 Laughlin Field was dedicated with the pilot’s widow and daughter in attendance. (2006)

Lt. Jack T. Laughlin is a historical marker in Del Rio, Val Verde County, dedicated in 2005. It is one of 61 historical markers documented in Val Verde County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 78 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 29.3693, -100.7947 near Del Rio. The nearest cataloged historic site is Laughlin Army Air Field (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Rudolf Anderson, Jr., Military Aviation in Val Verde County, and Oaklawn Memorial Park.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507013495. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.