Eugene D Person
Military
Flight Engineer
Crew #793 - Richard D. Koch Crew
466th BG - 787th BS
466th BG Historian
findagrave.com
Object Number - UPL 18013 - SSGT Eugene D. Person Flight Engineer Crew #793 - Richard D. Koch Crew 466th BG - 787th BS
He enlisted in October 1943, volunteering for engineering and gunnery training. Assigned to a crew they picked up a B-24 and flew via Goose Bay, Labrador, Iceland and Wales to join the Group at Attlebridge. He flew on 12 combat missions, the first being on 29th March 1945. On the third flak knocked out two engines and - after throwing out everything to lighten the load -managed to make it back to England where the pilot landed the aircraft at a fighter base and ran off the too short runway and crashed through a stone wall. After leaving the service Eugene worked for Hormel Packing and was an original founder of the Iowa Chapter of the 8th AF Historical Society.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
People
- Military/Civilian/Mascot: Military
- Nationality: American
- Unit: 466th Bomb Group 787th Bomb Squadron
- Service Numbers: O-835494
- Highest Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Role/Job: Pilot
Aircraft
Places
- Site type: Airfield
- Known as: Attlebridge Arsenal, Station 120
Events
| Event | Location | Date | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Born |
Burnside, IA, USA | 17 March 1923 | |
|
Enlisted |
Herrold, IA 50109, USA | 1 December 1943 | Camp Dodge |
|
Died |
Fort Dodge, IA 50501, USA | 29 July 2012 | Eugene D. Person, 89, of Fort Dodge, passed away on Sunday, July 29, 2012 at the Fort Dodge Villa Care Center. Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 3rd at 10:30 a.m. at Grace Lutheran Church with Rev. Matthew Martens officiating. Burial will be in North Lawn Cemetery with Military Rites conducted by the V.F.W. Post 1856. Visitation will be on Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Laufersweiler-Sievers Funeral Home. Gene is survived by his, wife Anne, brother Vernon of Dakota City, Iowa and five children including Mark (Maxine) of Jacksonville, FL; Sheree Pandil (Craig), of Omaha, NE; Sheila of Norman, OK; Randal (Adela) of Edinburg, TX; and Jeffrey (Nancy) of Keyser, WV; and two stepchildren, Tom Beadle (Dee) of Monticello, IA, Dan Beadle (Virginia) of Gold Canyon, AZ and 57 grand and great grandchildren. Eugene D. Person was born on March 17, 1923 near Burnside, Iowa. Gene grew up during the Depression, and spent his time hunting, fishing and working on his dad's farm. He graduated from Gowrie High School in 1941 and continued working on his dad's farm until he enlisted in the US Army Air force in 1943. Trained as a flight engineer, Gene flew missions over Germany in a B-24 Liberator and was honorably discharged from service in 1946 when he married Naomi Johnson. Naomi and Gene raised five children in Fort Dodge where Gene was employed by George A. Hormel and Company. Gene and Naomi also owned and operated Fort Dodge Lawnmower Service and Devil Rapids Camps in Saskatchewan Canada. Naomi passed away in 1972. In 1974 Gene married Anne Beadle. Upon retirement from Hormel, Gene and Anne spent a great deal of time organizing and participating in the Iowa Chapter of the 8th Air Force Historical Society, in honor of the 350,000 men and women who served in the 8th Air Force during WWII. Gene was also finance chairman for the memorial, Iowa World War II Freedom Flame located on the State Capital Grounds in Des Moines. At age 85, Gene wrote a book entitled "Gene Person Story: Surviving The Horse & Buggy Days, Great Depression, WW II, & Technology" chronicling these and other events in his life. Throughout his life Gene continued to serve his community in various positions; including founding the Svenska Klubben, "The Swedish Club", in 1976, and also pursuing his love of fishing and hunting with friends and family. His faith in God and our Lord Jesus compelled his service to his church, Grace Lutheran in unison with his other activities. His sense of humor and work ethic will always serve as a model for all that knew him in this life. |
|
Buried |
Fort Dodge, IA 50501, USA | 3 August 2012 | North Lawn Cemetery Fort Dodge Webster County Iowa, USA |
Revisions
Drawn from the records of the National Museum of the Mighty Eighth Air Force, Savannah, Georgia / Unit roster in the book ATTLEBRIDGE DIARY by Wassom & Brassfield, page 349 & Page 376 in the book 2ND AIR DIVISIONby Turner Publishing Company, 1998 edition (D790.A2S45)
