Born and raised in Illinois, John McKee moved to Michigan City in 1941 and worked in the refrigeration service industry. He enlisted in the Air Corps in July 1942. After training, he was sent overseas and assigned to the 44th Bomb Group/506th Bomb Squadron in Shipdham, England. On his 7th mission, he was Radio Operator/Gunner on B-24 # 42-100415 when it ran into mechanical trouble on return in the afternoon from the 8 August 1944 mission to bomb the airfield at Romilly-sur-Seine, France. He bailed out of the aircraft and broke his leg in landing in the Department of the Marne, France. Hospitalized by the Germans, he was cared for in a hospital in Paris then transferred to Stalag Luft 4 in Gross Tychow (presently Tychowo) Poland. As Russian troops were approaching, the camp was evacuated on 6 February 1945 and the POWs were force-marched on what was to be known as the “Black March”, which brought the survivors to Stalag 357 (Stalag XI-B) near Fallingbostel. They arrived there about 3-4 April 1945 and were liberated by British troops on 2 May 1945. Back in the States, John stayed in the refrigeration business and opened his own company, John H. McKee Appliances in 1954. An active member of many POW and Veterans’ organizations, he was named Veteran of the Year by the Great Lakes Museum of Military History in 2013.