He also flew as lead bombardier on the first mission during the North Africa invasion. Ferebee flew as bombardier in the lead B-17 that made the first American strike against occupied Europe. During this time, he made two lifelong friends in Paul Tibbets, a talented pilot, and Theodore “Dutch” van Kirk, a skilled navigator. He soon found himself dropping bombs over North Africa and Nazi-occupied Europe as part of the crew of a B-17 airplane. So Ferebee joined the Army Air Corps in the summer of 1941, only months before America’s entry into World War II.įollowing flight school, Ferebee received additional training as a bombardier. Unfortunately, a football injury ended these plans. At Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, he lettered in track, basketball, and football, and he looked forward to a major-league baseball career. He attended local public schools and excelled in sports in high school and college. Thomas Wilson Ferebee was born into a large farm family outside Mocksville in Davie County on November 19, 1918. Tar Heel Junior Historian Association, NC Museum of History Reprinted with permission from the Tar Heel Junior Historian, Spring 2008.