Benjamin P. Fields.
Tail Gunner · 328th Squadron · Of Elnora, IN.
The man.
Enlisted in USAAC, entered active service Oct. 21, 1942. Training at Fort Benjamin Harrison, Indianapolis; Atlantic City basic training; Air Gunners School, Fort Myers, FL; gun turret training at Lowry Field, Denver; armament training at Boise, ID; second and third phase training at Pocatello, ID.
Shipped overseas on Aquatonia, landed Scotland, then to Hardwick, England — assigned to 328th Sqdn., 93rd Bomb Group.
Flew first mission as tail gunner with another crew; wounded in left arm, spent 30 days in hospital.
After returning to squadron, flew missions to France, Germany, and the Ruhr Valley.
Shot down on sixth mission, Feb. 4, 1944; taken prisoner. Spent 14 months and two weeks in three different POW camps until freed by Gen. Bernard Montgomery's 8th Army.
Service record.
Before and after.
Born Aug. 26, 1922 in Elnora, IN. Moved near Linton, IN after two years and lived there until drafted. Spent 18 months in the Civilian Conservation Corps before enlistment.
Discharged at Scott Field, IL on Nov. 27, 1945 with rank of staff sergeant. Received Air Medal, Purple Heart, Presidential Unit Citation and various other medals. Has wife, three children, and seven grandchildren. Retired and resides in St. Anne, IL.