John G. Simpson was the son of Robert H Simpson of Chevy Chase, Maryland. John resided in Montgomery County, Maryland, prior to the war. At the time of his death, he was serving in the Headquarters, 322nd Bomber Group, Medium, as a Colonel and Co-Pilot on the B-26 Marauder #41-35021 'The Sheriff Rapides Parish Louisiana' during World War II.

On July 19, 1944, two groups of aircraft, a total of 36 twin-engine American bombers of the 32nd Bomb Group, the 451st Bomber Squadron, took off from Station 485 in Andrew Field, England, for a bombing raid on Nantes. At 7:58 PM, 'The Sheriff Rapides Parish Louisiana' was shot down by flak, hitting the left engine and setting the bomb bay on fire. Two crew members were able to bail out, but those who didn't make it were killed in this incident. Colonel Simpson was one of the casualties. Severely burned, Colonel Simpson died the next day at 03:30 PM. He is now buried in the Brittany American Cemetery, Montjoie Saint Martin, France.

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