Assigned to 366BS, 305BNG, 8AF USAAF. 44 x missions total, 19 x as group lead Bombardier.

"While never wounded, Ken noted that his bombers were often full of bullet holes by the time they landed.
During one particularly harrowing incident, Ken recalled hanging his feet out of the escape hatch in the nose of the plane after German flak caused the right wing to catch fire. he wrote that aircrews often said that 'you can count to five and the airplane’s gone', so he began counting. He got to four, and just before he jumped, the bomber’s co-pilot yelled, 'hold it, the fire’s out'.
A piece of flak ripped Ken's sheepskin flight suit from his ankle to hip that day, just missing his flesh. He later found a shard lodged in the navigation compartment and kept it as a souvenir."

Awards: DFC (OLC), AM (5OLC), LOM, American campaign, EAME (3BS), WWII Victory.

Post war: Following 30 years of distinguished service in the Air Force, Col. Beckman retired in 1972. The WWII veteran then spent 25 years as a divisional captain in the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. He has also taught celestial navigation for the U.S. Power Squadrons, a non-profit educational boating club, for the last 30 years.