John Stanley Spirodek was born on January 13, 1923, in Cook County, Illinois. He was the son of Piotr A. Spirodek and Amalia Spirodek. He was married to Lois Winifred Bullerman Walsh. He served in the 613th Bomber Squadron, 401st Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Technical Sergeant and Radio Operator of B-17 #42-31037 nicknamed "Pistol Packin' Mama" during World War II.

On July 20, 1944, Pistol Packin’ MaMa took off from Deenethorpe for a bombing mission over Leipzig but was diverted to the secondary target at Kölleda airfield due to cloud cover. During the bombing run, the aircraft was struck by flak, igniting a fire in the engine and wing fuel tank, prompting the crew to bail out. The plane spiraled down, lost its tail, and crashed near Bärenhügel, Thuringia, resulting in the deaths of three crew members, while the others were captured and became prisoners of war.

TSgt 2nd Grade Spirodek is believed to have lost consciousness due to anoxia, was secured to the static line and pushed out of the aircraft by his crewmates, and may have been killed by civilians after landing. He is now buried in the Saint Adalbert Catholic Cemetery, Niles, Cook County, Illinois, USA.

Source of information: aircrewremembered.com, www.americanairmuseum.com