Evart Mitchell Veech was born on October 11, 1918, in Decatur, Macon County, Illinois. He was the son of Ralph Dudley Veech and Myrtle B. Clements Veech. He was married to Anna Ruth J. Hackman Veech. He served in the 601st Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Bombardier in B-17G #43-37889 nicknamed ''Black Widow” during World War II.

On January 20, 1945, the B-17G “Black Widow” departed Nuthampstead, England, for a mission into the Rhine valley. The day’s target was the bridge between Mannheim and Ludwigshafen, an important industrial and transportation link across the Rhine. The aircraft was hit by heavy flak before reaching the target, but remained steady long enough to release its bombs. Afterward, the bomber caught fire, fell out of formation, and came under attack from a German fighter before crashing near Mechtersheim in Rheinland-Pfalz, Germany. Out of the nine crew members, two were killed in action, while the other seven parachuted to safety but were captured and spent the rest of the war as prisoners.

2Lt Veech was captured and imprisoned in Germany. He died on April 20, 1985, and is now buried in the Memorial Park Cemetery, Jennings, St. Louis County, Missouri, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.ig-heimatforschung.de