Jack was drafted into the U.S.Army and was inducted at the age of 21 on September 17, 1942.
He saw service in the western Pacific and was assigned to the 5th AAF. He was a crewman on a B-24 Liberator. The “Lib” was a four engine bomber. While not as well known as the B-17 Flying Fortress made famous in movies, the Liberator had its fans too. The bomber could fly farther and carry a heavier bomb load than the B-17. But some pilots thought it harder to fly than the B-17, and landings on water could be tricky in the B-24.
This was all on Jack’s mind since most of the missions (38) that he participated in were overwater. Since the B-24 had a tendency to break up when attempting an emergency landing on water, the chances were not good that at least some of the crew would not survive.
Jack’s job on the bomber nicknamed “Milady, “was as a waist gunner. The missions were generally 10 hours long, and mostly without fighter escort since there were no fighters that could stay up that long. He says that each mission was “memorable.” Just making it back over the vast Pacific Ocean was a big thing!
Jack saw action in and around New Guinea, Bismarck Archipelago, and other far flung locations all with the 5th Air Force, 380th Bomb Group, 531 Bomb Squadron.
Jack was awarded 4 air medals, good conduct medal, expert marksman, gunner wings, and a presidential unit citation. He attained the rank of staff sergeant.
He was discharged from the military on October 7, 1945.
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