Howard A. Turnquist was born at Swan, Marion County, Iowa on July 25, 1922. He was one of at least three children of Clifford William Turnquist (5 Jan 1891 12 Feb 1969), who was born at Des Moines, Polk County, Iowa; and Hallie H. (Rogers) Turnquist (1893 1983), who was born in Iowa. His parents married at Des Moines, Iowa on January 29, 1913. His father was a blacksmith. He had an older brother, Roger A. Turnquist (abt 1914 unk); and a younger brother, Norman August Turnquist (12 Feb 1926 26 Nov 2008). The family home was in Swan, Marion County, Iowa.
He completed four years of high school and worked as a semiskilled mechanic and repairman. He was married when he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Santa Ana, California on March 10, 1943. During World War II, his wife, Alberta M. Turnquist, lived in Monroe, Jasper County, Iowa. He had a son, Howard A. Turnquist Jr, born in 1944.
He completed Army Air Forces pilot training, was assigned a crew, and completed B-17 operational training at Ardmore, Oklahoma. The crew was assigned to the 836th Bomb Squadron, 487th Bomb Group (Heavy), at Army Air Forces Station 137, near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. They arrived at Station 137 by October 4, 1944, and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.
Lt Turnquist and three of his crew mates were killed in action on December 24, 1944 when their aircraft, B-17G 44-8614, was shot down by German fighters south of Liege, Belgium. He bailed out but his parachute failed to open properly and he fell to his death. The aircraft crashed at Deignι, about 20 kilometers southeast of Liege. Five men survived. There is a memorial to the four men who were killed at Comblain-au-Pont, Belgium.
His remains were returned to the United States and reinterred at Swan Cemetery in Swan, Marion County, Iowa in 1948. He also has a cenotaph located in Monroe Cemetery, Monroe, Jasper County, Iowa.
B-17G 44-8614 crew:
Turnquist, Howard A 1/Lt Pilot KIA
Chatterton, Thomas C 2/Lt Copilot KIA
Ceder, Richard E 2/Lt Bombardier Safe
Jordan, Frank E 2/Lt Navigator Safe
Kleinman, Stanley S/Sgt Radio Operator Safe
Stanton, Warren J T/Sgt Engineer KIA
MacHauer, David H Sgt Ball Turret Gunner Safe
Gregory, Jefferson G S/Sgt Tail Gunner KIA
Matz, Neil F Sgt Waist Gunner Safe
Source of information: Paul M. Webber, www.findagrave.com