Graduated from Pickton (Texas) High School in the summer of 1942 and enlisted in the Army Air Force as an aviation cadet on 23 November 1942 in Dallas, Texas at age 18 years. Spent the next two years completing all required training at various locations. Was in pilot training class 44-D at Pecos, Texas. He was selected pilot on a B-17 crew and the crew went over to England together arriving for duty on 9 December 1944. Upon arrival in England the crew was in the process of completing their orientation training before going on their first mission to Germany. In the early AM of 29 December 1944 the crew were awaken and asked to volunteer to fill in on other crews for a mission that day. The Command wanted to get as many bombers in the air as possible due to bad weather having been present for the last few days. This was during or just after the battle of the Budge. Lt Nickols and one or two other men from his crew volunteered to fill in on other crews who were shorthanded. Other crew members either were not needed or did not volunteer because they had only arrived in country. The crew flew first to France but the target was obscured with overcast weather so they diverted to Bingen on the Rhine as a secondary target to hit the river port and railroad yards there. Just after bombs away, the AC took a direct hit by Germany Anti-Aircraft fire. The bomb bay doors were still open and could not be closed due to damage. Also the tail section was badly damaged and control to the AC was reduced. A fire broke out in the Radio room, and internal communications were reduced or lost. No bail out order was given according to the after war loss report. Lt Nickols who was unknown to most of the crewmen because he was a late add on, was last seen sitting at the front hatch with his feel dangling preparing to bail out. The pilot said he was not wounded to his knowledge. That was the last seen of Lt. Nickols by his fellow crewman. They heard from the Germans that he had died later. The plane went down on the North side of the Rhine River and Lt Nickols was buried by the Germans in a German cemetery in the small village of Oestrich on the North side of the river. His reminds were returned to his home in 1949 for burial. Killed in Action (KIA) crashed at Bingen in B-17 #4339031. Died at the age of 20 years. This was his first mission.