Lawrence Merton “Larry” Eidsmore was born on May 27, 1920, in Duluth, St. Louis County, Minnesota. He was the son of Meron and Alice Eidsmore. He enlisted in the service on April 10, 1942. He served in the 765th Bomb Squadron, 461st Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Sergeant and Nose Turret Gunner 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 2Lt Phillip 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.

Sgt. Eidsmore was taken prisoner and held at Stalag Luft IV in Groß Tychow. After the war, he served again in the Army during the Korean War and ended his military service as a First Lieutenant. Afterward, he earned a degree in architecture from Oklahoma State University and pursued his career across Oklahoma, Nebraska, Illinois, Maryland, and Washington state. He was a member of the Island Chapter of the American Ex-Prisoners of War, the Kiwanis Club, Sea Scouts, the Senior Center, Old Time Fiddlers, and the Christian Science Society in Oak Harbor. 1Lt Eidsmore died on June 11, 2004, and is now buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

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