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Peck Howard Rankin

Name:
Howard Rankin Peck
Rank:
Staff Sergeant
Serial Number:
39272980
Unit:
715th Bomber Squadron, 448th Bomber Group
Date of Death:
2015-03-27
State:
California
Cemetery:
Hermiston Cemetery, Hermiston, Umatilla County, Oregon
Plot:
Section E
Row:
Lot 82
Grave:
13
Decoration:
Comments:

Howard Rankin Peck was born on June 29, 1922, in San Diego, California. He was married to Annamae Zenzola Peterson. Annamae died December 13, 1989. He was later married to Beverly Jean LaTrace Buchanan-Peck.

Howard served in the 715th Bomber Squadron, 448th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Tail Gunner on the B-24 #42-7754 "Harmful Lil' Armful" during World War II.

On December 31, 1943, his crew took off from Station 146 airfield in Seething, England, on a bombing mission to Cognac, France. At around 12:00H, their plane was shot down by a German fighter setting the plane's cabin and engine #3 on fire. The crew evacuated the airplane at 18,000 feet. Their plane crashed near Lesparre-Médoc, France. As a result of this incident, four crew members were taken as prisoners, two members evaded the capture, and two casualties, who were believed to have been killed by the Germans. SSgt Peck was one of the POWs. He was sent to Stalag Luft IV in Gross Tychow, Germany.

Post-war, Howard worked as a floor covering mechanic. He was the co-founder of the Coos Bay Art League in Coos Bay, Oregon, a member of the Uma-West Art Group in Hermiston, Oregon, and a member of the Trails End Art Association in Gearhart, Oregon. Howard died Friday, March 27, 2015, at Canterbury Gardens Nursing facility in Longview, Washington, at the age of 92. He is now buried in the Hermiston Cemetery, Hermiston, Umatilla County, Oregon, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, francecrashes39-45.net