Richard G. Candelaria

Candelaria married Betty Jean Landreth in 1953. The couple have two daughters.

During World War II, Candelaria was credited with destroying 6 enemy aircraft in aerial combat plus 1 probable. During his time with the 479th FG, he flew P-51K named "My Pride and Joy".

Candelaria left active duty on May 1, 1946, and served in the Air Force Reserve until joining the California Air National Guard (CA ANG) on April 27, 1950. He served in a variety of command and staff positions over the next ten years, including commanding 8195th Replacement Training Squadron at Van Nuys Air National Guard Base from February 1955 to June 1957. He transferred to the Air Force Reserve on October 20, 1960, and retired on June 15, 1964, at the rank of colonel.

His biggest day came on April 7, 1945. Candelaria was taxiing for takeoff as a leader of his section when he got a call from the control tower informing him that his rear tire was flat. The ground crew quickly appeared to put on a new one, but by the time he got airborne the rest of the flight element had departed earlier to rendezvous with the B-24s.

On April 13, 1945, after a mission over East Prussia, Candelaria attacked enemy aircraft at an airfield in Rostock. After attacking the airfield in first pass, he decided to attack the airfield again in a second pass. But by this time, the German anti-aircraft personnel managed to shoot at him. As a result, his aircraft's engine caught fire and Candelaria steered his aircraft to the Elbe River to head towards Allied-controlled territory. He then bailed out of his P-51.

In 2007, Candelaria appeared on an episode of the History Channel series Dogfights. In the episode titled 'P-51 Mustang' features his April 7, 1945 mission. The episode was the eleventh episode of the second season of the series, which recreated historical air combat campaigns using modern computer graphics.

In May 1944, Candelaria registered to be assigned in combat operations. After completing P-51 Mustang transition training, he was assigned with the 435th Fighter Squadron of the 479th Fighter Group in England in September 1944. Based at RAF Wattisham, he flew P-38 Lightnings and P-51 Mustangs in bomber escort missions.

During World War II, Candelaria enlisted in the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Forces on January 22, 1943. He began his training at airfields in California and Arizona. In January 1944, he graduated as a second lieutenant and received his wings. Following completion of flight training, Candelaria was selected and assigned to Williams and Luke Fields in Arizona, as a flight instructor, teaching advanced pilot instrument flying and gunnery.

After graduating from Theodore Roosevelt High School in Fresno in February 1939, Candelaria passed preliminary entrance exams for the Air Force flying program. He began his seven-month studies at the University of Southern California to meet the two-year college requirement within the U.S. Army Air Corps. During this time, he maintained his interest in aviation by working part time at Miller Dial & Instrument, a company that produced instrument dials for aircraft.

Richard Gomez Candelaria (born 14 July 1922) is an American flying ace in the 479th Fighter Group during World War II, who was credited with six aerial victories.

Candelaria was born on July 14, 1922, in El Paso, Texas. The only child in his family, Candelaria was seven years old when his father died. His maternal grandmother, two aunts and an uncle then moved to Southern California to live with the family, where they lived comfortably during the Great Depression.