Ben F Collins, Jr.

Benjamin Franklin Collins, Jr., often known as “Ben,” was born on November 4, 1923, in Weldon, North Carolina. He entered military service in January 1943 with the United States Army Air Corps during World War II.

During the war, Collins served as a radio gunner with the 81st Bomb Squadron, 12th Bomb Group (nicknamed "Earthquakers"), part of the Tenth Air Force. He flew aboard the B 25 Mitchell, a twin engine medium bomber, in the China–Burma–India Theater of Operations. Over the course of his service, he completed 79 combat missions, primarily against enemy targets in Burma, with additional missions into China. The CBI Theater was logistically difficult, geographically harsh, and strategically vital. Japan sought to control Burma to cut off Allied supply routes to China. The 12th Bomb Group requently flew in extreme monsoon weather and from primitive jungle airstrips. Low-level strafing and skip-bombing missions were common.

For his courage and dedication in combat, Collins was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Clusters, recognizing his exceptional performance while flying combat missions under hazardous conditions.

After the war, Collins attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Pharmacy, where he met his future wife, Doris Marie Gilliam. Together, they owned and ran the Crutchfield-Browning Drug Store in Greensboro from the 1960’s until their retirement in 1991.

Ben loved serving others. He was a Cub Scout leader, president of a Greensboro Rotary club, a Deacon and a Sunday school teacher at his church Guilford Park Presbyterian.

He enjoyed hunting with the favorite call “Over the Field”. Ben also enjoyed fishing, telling jokes and had a love for animals. He loved cooking for people and always had an extra seat at the table for whomever was around.

Benjamin Franklin Collins, Jr. passed away November 6, 2021. He is buried at Pocket Presbyterian Church in Sanford, NC.