John Ethridge Greene was born on April 23, 1921 in Atlanta, Fulton County, Georgia. He was the son of John Seldon Greene and Zella Mae Millam Greene. He graduated from Science Hill High School, Class of 1939 and attended East Tennessee State College while working as a shoe salesman at J.C. Penney in downtown Johnson City. John attended the Harrison Christian Church.

John enlisted as a Private in the United States Army Air Forces with service number 13034027 on 6 January 1942 in Richmond, Virginia after completing one year of college. After completing the Aircraft Mechanics course on 4 July 1942 at Sheppard Field, Wichita, Texas, he applied to become an Aviation Cadet. With his education and high aptitude scores, John was selected. He was sent for pre-flight training at a contract school, Wilson-Bonfils Flying School located on the Chickasha Municipal Airport, Chickasha, Oklahoma. John passed and since he had the skills needed to be a pilot was sent to Perrin Field, Denison, Texas for basic flight training. John was screened at the end of this course and placed into the bomber program. Then it was onto Blackland Field, Waco, Texas for advanced flight training in multiple engine aircraft. John certified as a bomber pilot and given his commission as a Second Lieutenant upon graduation. During this whole time, John sent enough money back to the store (J.C. Penney) to invest in two $25 war bonds a month, he continued to do that even after graduation and the store continued to so until the end of the war for him.

John was assigned to the 561st Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb Group (Heavy), 45th Bomb Wing, 8th Air Force as a Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress co-pilot. The 388th was activated at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho on 24 December 1942. Here John was assigned to his crew and plane. Aircraft Commander/Pilot 1st Lt Heywood Warren Curling Jr from Norfolk, Virginia introduced John to their ship, B-17F #42-3262, named Willie Wildcat/Sweetheart, and they started training on her. They moved to Wendover Field, Utah on 1 February 1943 and Sioux City Army Air Field, South Dakota on 29 April. John and his crew left here around 10 June 1943 for their new home in England; United States Army Air Force Station 136/Royal Air Force Station Knettishall near Thetford, England. John flew his first operational bombing mission on 24 July 1943 to Bergen, Norway, but returned to base due to bad weather. Missions two and three to Wustrow and Oschersleben, Germany on 24 and 28 July were completed with no difficulties. On 29 July, they successfully bombed their assigned target at Warnemunde, Germany, a Heinkel Aircraft Factory that had been converted over to produce Focke-Wulf 190 fighters. This was their fourth bombing mission together, but their first flight on B-17F #42-5908. The two assigned bomb groups (388th and 96th) were returning home across the North Sea when a mid-air collision happened between John's ship and B-17F #42-30370 (Little Caesar) from the 337th Bomb Squadron, 96th Bomb Group. This incident occurred three miles from the coast of Cromer, England. One ship broke in half and both went into the sea aflame. All ten members of John's crew died that fateful day. John was first interred in the Brookwood American Cemetery, London, England, an American World War I cemetery before being moved to the Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England. He also has a cenotaph located in Monte Vista Memorial Park, Johnson City, Washington County, Tennessee. He was one of the many brave Americans of the 388th Bomber Group who lost their lives in aerial operations against the German forces from June 1943 - August 1945.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com