Joyal Lester Isaacson was born at Mentor, Smolan Township, Saline County, Kansas, on March 26, 1922. His parents were Robert Edwin Isaacson (13 Jan 1898 – 21 Oct 1962) and Almeda Caroline (Walker) Isaacson (29 Dec 1897 – 12 Nov 1984), who were born in Kansas. His parents married at Gypsum, Saline County, Kansas on June 1, 1921. His father was a farmer. By 1935 the family home was in Walnut Township, Saline County, Kansas. By 1940 Joyal had five younger siblings. The family attended the Lutheran Evangelical Church in nearby Assaria, Kansas.

He completed four years of high school, and registered for the draft at Wichita, Sedgwick County, Kansas on June 30, 1942. He was 5 feet 11 inches tall, weighed 148 pounds, and had blue eyes and blonde hair. At that time he lived in Wichita and worked for Boeing Aircraft Company in a semiskilled occupation in the building of aircraft. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Fort Riley, Kansas on September 8, 1942. His home of record was Saline County, Kansas.

He married after enlisting. His wife was Margaret (King) Isaacson (later Swedenburg) (26 Jan 1923 – 21 Dec 1997), who was born at Assaria, Saline County, Kansas. They married at Okmulgee, Oklahoma on January 20, 1943. They had a daughter, Sondra, who was born about six months after his death.

He completed Army Air Forces pilot training, and was assigned as copilot on the heavy bomber crew of Lt Harold D. Borchert. The Borchert crew completed B-24 crew training at Biggs Army Air Field, El Paso, Texas in May 1944. The crew was then transferred to Topeka Army Air Field, Kansas, where they were assigned a new B-24J aircraft and deployed to England.

In England the Borchert crew was assigned as a replacement crew in the 838th Bomb Squadron of the 487th Bomb Group at Army Air Forces Station 137 near Lavenham, Suffolk, England. The crew arrived at Station 137 by June 21, 1944 and became part of the 8th U.S. Army Air Force in Europe.

Lt Isaacson and the crew's radio operator, Sgt Albert P. Nassi, were killed in action on July 17, 1944 when their aircraft, B-24H 42-52581, crashed on approach to Lavenham Airfield on the return from a mission to Gien, France.

The Borchert crew flew in the number 11 position of the Lead Squadron on this mission to bomb the railroad bridge at Gien, France. The bridge was destroyed. On the return, Lt Borchert lost his number 2 engine while in the landing pattern, and was unable to maintain altitude and directional control. The aircraft crashed near the east end of runway 27, and skidded across the runway into a field. One observer reported, "Borchert's plane 'fell in' on landing and really got smashed up. They have been penned up inside the wreck all afternoon while efforts were made to get them out." Sgt Nassi was killed outright, and Lt Isaacson died later that day in hospital. The survivors were all severely injured. Sgt Schult, the nose gunner, lost a foot.

Lt Isaacson is buried at Cambridge American Cemetery near Madingley, Cambridgeshire, England.

B-24H 42-52581 crew:
• Borchert, Harold D – 2/Lt – Pilot – Safe
• Isaacson, Joyal L – 2/Lt – Copilot – KIA
• Taylor, Harold J – 2/Lt – Navigator – Safe
• Thompson, O C – Sgt – Top Turret Gunner – Safe
• Nassi, Albert P – Sgt – Radio Operator – KIA
• Schult, Charles A – Sgt – Nose turret gunner – Safe
• Wright, Richard G – S/Sgt – Ball Turret Gunner – Safe
• Helmer, Clyde W – S/Sgt – Waist Gunner – Safe
• Moore, Richard A – Sgt – Tail Gunner – Safe

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