Milton Aaron Klarsfeld was born on August 19, 1922, in Albany, Albany County, New York. He was the son of Charles Klarsfeld and Harriet "Hattie" Feltman Klarsfeld. He enlisted in the service on August 20, 1942. He served in the 765th Bomb Squadron, 461st Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Flight Officer and Navigator of B-24J #42-52025 nicknamed “Arsenic and Lace” during World War II.

On December 17, 1944, the ''Arsenic and Lace'' took off from Torretta Airfield in Italy as part of a 15th Air Force mission to bomb the Odertal synthetic oil refinery in German-occupied Silesia. The formation was heavily engaged by German fighters near the target. At about 26,000 feet, Arsenic and Lace was hit and exploded in the air. Parts of the Liberator came down on the outskirts of Olomouc, in today’s Czech Republic, with wreckage falling by the Neředín Cemetery. Five of the crew of Arsenic and Lace were killed in action, while the rest were taken prisoner.

FO Klarsfeld was captured and imprisoned at Stalag Luft in Barth, Germany, and later completed his military service as a First Lieutenant. Following the war, he established Albany’s first television facility in 1946, which grew into the Audio-Video Corporation, a successful family enterprise he led until his retirement in 1990. He also contributed to the founding of Albany’s first Little League park. He died on January 1, 2016, and is now buried in the Gerald B.H. Solomon Saratoga National Cemetery, Saratoga, Saratoga County, New York, USA.

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