adapted from newspaper account of death, found on "Find A Grave" website, and attributed to article taken from microfilm of the Stillwater Daily News dated Sept 21, 1944, and added on Oct 9, 2012 by Pammy in Oklahoma on Ancestry.com:

Lt. Col. Ernest C. Young, Sr., was tragically killed in the crash of a two-engine Army Transport near Redmond, Oregon on Wednesday. The crash occurred shortly after the plane left the Redmond Army Air Field, with Lt. Col. Young as pilot. No details concerning the cause of the crash were made available. There was one survivor, Sgt. James F. Barton of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the crew chief and he suffered a broken ankle when he was thrown through the fuselage of the plane. Four others were also killed: Col. Earl L. Naiden, Commanding Officer of the 317th Wing, Fourth Air Force and three of his staff: Lt. Col. William T. Moody of Glenville, North Carolina, Major Frederick A. Zamboni of Wallace, Idaho, and Chief Warrant Officer Clair K. Benser of San Bernardino, California.

Col. Young graduated in 1939 from Oklahoma A&M College with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering. Following graduation, he enlisted in cadet training for the Army Air Force in July 1939. He trained at Spartan Field in Tulsa, Kelly and Randolph Fields, and was commissioned in March 1940. He was a member of Eddie Rickenbacker's old 94th Squadron at Selfridge Field, Michigan and later went to Long Beach, California were he organized the 97th Squadron of the 82nd Fighter Group and was its Squadron Leader.

In September 1942, he went to Ireland and in December of that year, went on to the African War Theater. When promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in March 1943, at age 24, he was believed to be one of the youngest officers in the Army to hold that rank.

The Stillwater Flier, a veteran of combat in the African-Sicilian War Theater and developer of the "skip bombing" against underground Nazi installations, held the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Silver Star for Gallantry in Action, and the Air Medal with eight oakleaf clusters. The DFC award was made by Lord Halifax on behalf of the British King. The 82nd Fighter Group which he commanded, won two Presidential citations for distinguished and meritorious actions.