Name:
Selmer Kenneth Haakenson
Rank:
Sergeant
Serial Number:
Unit:
603rd Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group
Date of Death:
2006-12-11
State:
North Dakota
Cemetery:
Sacramento Valley National Cemetery Dixon, Solano County, California
Plot:
Section 15, Site 342
Row:
Grave:
Decoration:
POW Medal
Comments:
He was born on January 11, 1921 in North Dakota. He enlisted in the service on December 14, 1942. He served in the 603rd Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Sergeant and the Tail Gunner of B-17 #44-6573 during World War II.
On March 2, 1945, the aircraft was lost during a bombing mission over Germany. The aircraft was shot down by enemy fighters near Chemnitz, Germany, and crashed near Slaný, close to Karlovy in what is now the Czech Republic.
Haakenson was the lone survivor and became a POW for the rest of the war. He died on December 11, 2006 in California.d and served as POW.