Enlisted 26 June 1941 and was in the 34th BG Westover Field, MA; went to Pendlton Field, OR from Westover with 34th on transfer. Applied for and sent to AM school Yakima, WA. Finished school and transferred to the 306th at Wendover.

He was an Engineer/TTG in the 96th BG and completed 25 missions with One Round Robin to Russia, Italy and return to England with one crackup on landing and one crack up on the next takeoff.

Shot down 8 March 1943 in B-17F #41-24514, 306BG/368BS while serving as Left Waist Gunner. The aircraft was attacked by an FW-190 after Spitfire escort left while on a mission to bomb the railroad marshalling yards at Rennes, France. Plane was at the tail end of the low squadron. Only the pilot was lost. The aircraft crashed at Colline, Savron-sur-Vilvaine, France. Other crew members became POWs. He was one of the last out of the plane as he kept firing his gun. He parachuted and made a landing in a French field where workers helped him. He successfully evaded and was returned to London in one of the quickest returns recorded. He completed 9 missions prior to being shot down. He transferred to the 96th BG and completed a 25 mission tour which included diversions to Russia and Italy. He later wrote of his experiences in 'One Mission Into 23'. In civilian life he was a long haul trucker with Specter Freight.