Bradford Asa “Brad” Rupe was born at Rock Port, Atchison County, Missouri on December 30, 1911. He was the youngest of three children of Henry Yager Rupe (1874 – 1952) and Flora Belle 'Flo' (Deatz) Rupe (1878 – 1967), who were born in Missouri. He had two sisters, Wilma V. (Rupe) Bartholomew (1902 – 1984) and Faye Allen (Rupe) Gore (1905 – 1998). His father had several occupations: In 1900–1918 he was a farmer; in 1920 he ran a restaurant; in 1930 he was merchant of a general store; and in 1940 he owned and operated a trucking company. The family home was at Rock Port, Missouri.

He graduated from Rock Port High School about 1930, and worked as an attendant at Rupe Service Station in Rock Port. He was also a truck driver. He registered for the draft at Rock Port on October 16, 1940. He was 6 feet tall, weighed 176 pounds, and had gray eyes and brown hair. By 1935 he was married to Jayne I. (Taylor) Rupe. They had a daughter, Theresa Jayne.

He enlisted in the U.S. Army at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas on April 15, 1943, and went to Atlantic City, New Jersey for basic training. He completed Army Air Forces aerial gunnery training at Tyndall Field in Panama City, Florida; and armament training at Lowry Field, Colorado. He was then assigned as nose turret gunner on the heavy bomber crew of 2nd Lt Joseph S. Van Dyke, in the 836th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group. This Group completed B-24 crew training at Alamogordo Army Air Base, New Mexico, and deployed to England in March 1944. The Van Dyke crew flew B-24H 41-28822 from Alamogordo, New Mexico to Lavenham, England via the southern Atlantic ferry route—a journey of about 10,000 miles—and arrived at Lavenham by mid-April 1944. The 487th Bomb Group was based at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England, and was part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.

Sgt Rupe and his eight crewmates were killed in action on June 23, 1944, when their aircraft, B-24H 41-28822, was shot down near Brussels, Belgium after bombing an airfield at Juvincourt, France. The aircraft was hit by flak in the open bomb bay and exploded in the air. It fell in pieces in the meadow of Scheutbos near the intersection of Kasterlindenstraat (Rue Kasterninden) and Palokestraat (Rue Paloke).

He was buried initially at Evere Cemetery in Brussels, Belgium. His remains were reinterred at the U.S. Military Cemetery Neuville-en-Condroz, Belgium. His remains were returned to the United States for reinterment in June 1949. Brad Rupe is buried next to his parents at Green Hill Cemetery in Rock Port, Missouri.

B-24H 41-28822 crew:
• Van Dyke, Joseph S – 2/Lt – Pilot – KIA
• Thies, Merle J – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Zebora, Rudolph J – 2/Lt – Navigator – KIA
• Kraus, Leslie E – S/Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Glenn, James R – Sgt – Ball Turret – KIA
• Crossley, Charles H – S/Sgt – Top Turret – KIA
• Spindler, William H – Sgt – Tail Turret – KIA
• Rupe, Bradford A – Sgt – Nose Turret – KIA
• Snead, John E – T/Sgt – Engineer – KIA

Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com