Jack Riley Cody was born on January 1, 1921, in Sherman, Grayson County, Texas. He was the son of Edith Lorraine Farrar Cody. He was married to Mary Lou Aleshire Cody. He enlisted in the service on April 16, 1942. He served in the 765th Bomb Squadron, 461st Bomb Group, Heavy, as a First Lieutenant and Gunnery Officer of B-24J #42-50953, nicknamed "Flying Finger," during World War II.

On December 17, 1944, the “Flying Finger” took off from Torretta, Italy, as part of Mission No. 151 to bomb the synthetic oil refinery at Odertal, Germany. The “Flying Finger,” piloted by 2nd Lt. Philip J. Crossman, was last seen around 11:45 a.m. near Muglitz, Moravia. It never returned. The aircraft went down south of Neutitschein (now Nový Jičín, Czech Republic) after encountering heavy flak and German fighters, with four crewmen killed and the rest wounded or taken prisoner.

1Lt Cody was wounded and hospitalized before his transfer to Stalag Luft III in Sagan, Silesia. After liberation, he returned to duty, was promoted to Captain, and retired following four years of service. He died on December 28, 2005, and is now buried in the Riverside National Cemetery, Riverside, Riverside County, California, USA.

Source of information: 461st.org, www.americanairmuseum.com, www.yellowairplane.com