James Riley Pennal was born in 1922. He served in the 562nd Bomber Squadron, 388th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Co-Pilot of an aircraft during World War II. On April 11, 1944 just after bombs away over Rostock, Germany his plane was attacked by four German fighters that shot away the vertical stabilizer. His plane went down in the Baltic Sea but his body was not recovered. His name is commemorated on the Tablets of the Missing, Cambridge American Cemetery, Cambridge, United Kingdom. He also has a cenotaph located in Nettleton Cemetery, Nettleton, Monroe County, Mississippi. 2Lt Pennal 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, www.abmc.gov