Staff Sgt. John D'Amour was killed in action (KIA) after being reassigned as a replacement gunner, from the 93rd Bomb Group, in the 8th Air Force, reassigned to Lt. John S. Young's regular B-24D, 41-11768, named, Kickapoo, as part of the 344th Bomb Squadron, the 98th Bomb Group, in the 9th Air Force on Operation Tidal Wave to Ploesti.
Sgt. D'Amour was killed (KIA) when, Kickapoo, crashed shortly after take off for the low level Ploesti, Romania mission. The airplane's number 4 engine failed just after getting airborne and caught fire. The plane's replacement pilot, Lt. Robert Nespor, turned back to Lete field to land. On his second approach, with his aircraft's right wing engulfed in flames, he lost power in his other three engines, landed hard, bounced, and the plane's right wing struck a concrete pole. The plane cartwheeled into the ground, off the runway, and exploded in flames, killing everyone on board, except for two of the replacement crewmen, who were able to escape the wreckage, badly burned, but survived their burns and, after a long recovery, were able to return to duty. 7 KIA. 2 WIA-RTD. 1 Aug 1943

Awards: Air Medal - E-A-M-E Medal - Purple Heart

Due to the aborted takeoff and subsequent crash, Lt. Nespor's crew did not receive mission credit, and their names do not appear in the official USAAF History Roster of Personnel for DFCs. They did receive their Distinguished Flying Cross and Purple Heart Medals posthumously.