John was eager and determined to become part of the war effort. His first attempt to join the Army Air Corps was thwarted as he lacked the ability to cross his eyes disqualifying him from flight school. His determination was such that he taught himself the required skill and was accepted on his second assessment. He served with the 506th Bomb Squadron in the 44th Bomb Group as a member of a replacement crew for 11 missions.



On 20 December 1943 in B-24 #427630, he and his crew were shot down shortly after dropping their payload over Bremen. According to reports by his Pilot, Lt. Maynor, they were simultaneously raked by cannon fire from an FW-190, whose pilot had approached under-cover of the Liberator's contrail, and accurate flak from the ground. The fighter and flak presence of Bremen was extremely high, with Lt. Maynor estimating that between 50-75 fighters were dispatched in defense of the target.



The combination wounded Sergeants Stoffel, Parker, and Coonelly and crippled the aircraft. Lt. Maynor, assessing the aircraft's rate of uncontrolled descent, concluded that they would either need to bail out over Germany, or risk the crossing back to England. Deciding that the latter had a lower probability of success, the crew was given the order to bail out.



Sergeant Aho was observed successfully exiting the aircraft by the navigator Lt. Gray, however he did not survive the landing into the sea. Similarly Sgt. Stoffel was observed exiting the B-24, but did not survive to be rescued.



The surviving crew members were retrieved from the ocean by German pilot Willy Koch and interned for the remainder of the war as POWs.



After the war, John returned to his home in Pittsburgh, PA. He worked as a Ticonderoga pencil salesman and fathered three loving daughters. He lived the remainder of his life in peace surrounded by those he loved.



Shot down 20 December 1943 in B-24 #427630. Prisoner of War (POW).