Member of 8th Air force B-17 Flying Fortress Group in World War II.

While being a radio operator and gunner, was ripped by flak over a railyard in Saarbreuckien, Germany. The pilot and co-pilot, upon seeing that he was seriously injured, tried to land the aircraft. The airplane exploded a few hundred feet above the ground, killing all three men. He was awarded the Air Medal with two Oak-leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart posthumously.