Born in South Dakota, Clayton Verlo and his family moved to Mount Sterling, Wisconsin. Clayton was one of the 39 graduates of the Gays Mills High School class of 1939. He continued his education at the La Crosse Teachers College until he enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1940. Married to Lillian Litty in October 1943, he was sent overseas soon afterwards and served as a Ball Turret Gunner in the 92nd Bomb Group / 407th Bomb Squadron. Shot down on his third mission, 22 December 1943 on board B-17 # 42-3184. Prisoner of War (POW). Upon his return from captivity in the summer of 1945, Clayton and his wife became students at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Settling later in Des Plaines, Cook County, Illinois, the couple moved after retirement to the La Crosse area in Wisconsin and ultimately to Virginia. Clayton passed away in 2011 and Lillian followed him in May 2016.