Bio

Two of my Uncles served in the US Army Air Force in WWII. Sgt Angelo M. Staffo served with the 9th AF, 386th BG, 554th BS, as a B-26 Tail gunner. He was a member of the crew of Lt. Donald B. Wren in the B-26 “CLOUD HOPPER II” aircraft number 4131763 that went down on a mission to bomb a highway bridge near Rouen, France on May 31, 1944, when it lost an engine propeller and cowling when struck by a 2000 pound bomb from an aircraft that strayed out of formation overhead. Sergeant Staffo parachuted to safety where he met and fought with local members of the French resistance while he evaded capture for the next three months until he was liberated by British and Scottish troops on 13 September 1944. The story of this last mission on May 31, 1944 for "CLOUD HOPPER 2nd" was printed in the Vol 19 No 3 October 1999, "The Crusaders Newsletter - 386th Bomb Group (M) Association, Inc. My Uncle 1st Lt John C. Staffo, was a B-17F (#4230446) Bombardier with the 12th AF, 99th BG 348th BS KIA on October 10, 1943 on a mission from Oudna Field, Tunisia to bomb the Tatoi Aerodrome near Athens, Greece. I volunteer my serve to several WWII Veterans organizations, including the 99th Bomb Group Historical Society (BGHS) where I serve as the 2nd Vice President. My Dad and several other Uncles also served in combat in WWII and I continue my family historical research documenting their service for publication.