Joseph D. Roure.
Waist Gunner · 328th Squadron · Of Staten Island, NY.
The Man Behind the Name
Flew new B-24 to England February 1945; served with 328th Bomb Sqdn., 93rd Bomb Group. Flew 14 missions including the Rhine crossing; on one mission was rammed by an FW-190. Achieved the rank of staff sergeant by V-E Day.
Service record.
Missions flown.
The missions below are those we have been able to document for this airman, drawn from flight logs, mission records, and archival sources. It is not necessarily a complete account of every mission flown; gaps may reflect missing documentation, transferred assignments, or records lost to time.
Before and after.
Born Dec. 21, 1921 in Staten Island, NY; grew up in Flatbush, Brooklyn. Worked as fingerprint technician with the FBI in Washington when WWII began. Applied for Aviation Cadets; inducted September 1943. Basic training at Greensboro, NC; eliminated from aircrew training; sent to Radar School in Tampa. Applied for aerial gunnery; completed training at Tyndall Field, FL ("Gunner of Class 44-32") August 1944. B-24 crew training at Chatham AAF, GA.
After WWII, enlisted in reserve; returned to Washington, then joined New York City police. Applied for USAF commission as wartime first-three-grader; appointed second lieutenant February 1950. Reserve unit activated 1951; graduated Electronic Countermeasures Officer Course, Keesler AFB, July 1952. Flew 35 Douglas RB-26 electronic reconnaissance sorties from Kimpo AB, Korea (1952-53). Assigned to Martin RB-57D2 high-altitude strategic reconnaissance at Laughlin AFB, TX; flew (at 65,000 feet) out of England and Turkey (1959-60). Other SAC assignments including 93rd Bomb Wing, Castle AFB, CA. Assigned HQ 7th Air Force, Tan Son Nhut AB, Saigon (1968-69). Entered EB-66 radar suppression training; flew 101 sorties from Takhli RTAFB, Thailand until retirement as lieutenant colonel, June 1970. Awards: Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Air Medal with seven Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster. Lived in England until 1981; returned to Staten Island. Two daughters, two sons, five grandchildren.