Flew as a tail gunner with the 741st Bomb Squadron of the 445th Bomb Group.



His second mission took place on his 19th birthday, 20 December 1944 and it was not one that his crew would be able to complete. When their B-24 was hit by anti-aircraft fire the crew had to bail out. Boyd was wounded in the leg but was able to jump.



When he jumped the ripcord came away in his hands and he had to reach to find the cord to pull.



He was able to land safely and with other crew members evaded capture by German forces in Yugoslavia until they were able to join Allied troops. After returning to base, he went on to fly another 24 missions.