Lieutenant John Leo Barth was a member of the 506th Fighter Squadron, 404th Fighter Group, 9th Air Force during WWII. He flew thirty-eight missions in the P-47 and was awarded the Air Medal with 6 Oak Leaf Clusters. Based first at Winkton in Hampshire, he participated in the D-Day invasion. His service was cut short when he was wounded by a landmine while walking to his aircraft in France, losing a leg and thumb.