Paul R. Helander was born in Chicago, Illinois in on 27 Jul 1919. He entered enlisted service in May 1941 in the US Army Medical Corp. He attended basic training at Camp Grant near Rockford, Illinois but soon after he was transferred to the US Army Air Corp where he received training as an Aircraft Mechanic at Selfridge Field near Detroit, Michigan. He was later assigned to Ground School at Maxwell Field, Montgomery, Alabama, Primary Flight Training at Darr Aero Tech in Albany, Georgia, and Basic Flight Training in Greenville, Mississippi. He was then sent to George Air Force Base in Vincennes, Indiana for Advanced Multi-Engine Aircraft Training. After completing his training, he was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. and assigned to Advanced Pilot Training in Myrtle Beach, North Carolina where he qualified in single-engine AT-6’s. His first assignment as a rated pilot was with the 1st Composite Squadron stationed on Ascension Island. He was wounded in action in North Africa in 1943 and assigned to multi-engine bombers. In Apr 1943 he became the lead pilot in the initial formation of Crew 11, 712th Bomb Squadron, 448th Bomb Group. From Nov 1943 to May 1944, he completed 22 missions of over northern Europe before being wounded by flak. Due to his injuries, he was retired Jul 1945. He passed away on 31 Jul 2007 at the age of 86 and is buried in the Ft. Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Colorado.