Jessie served as a Staff Sergeant and Tail Gunner on B-17F #42-5780 "Black Swan", 427th Bomber Squadron, 303rd Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.
He resided in Oklahoma prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1939.
Jessie was "Killed In Action" when his B-17F was hit by a direct aerial bomb and crashed near St. Pere-en-Retz, France during the war. He was awarded the Purple Heart.
He was originally interred in the Pont du Cens Cemetery, France and was later repatriated here.
Service # 06293947
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jessie enlisted in 1939 in the Balloon Corps and later transferred to the Air Corps and later became a member of the 1Lt Sterling crew in the USA. Failed to exit "Black Swan" on mission #29 and was killed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 10 man Crew of the "Black Swan":
Cashman, Daniel J., S/Sgt, Gunner, Massachusetts, KIA
Fields, Harley W., T/Sgt, Radio-Op, Michigan, KIA
Griffin, Powell E., T/Sgt, Engineer, Alabama, POW
McCormick, Arthur R., S/Sgt, Turret Gunner, Maine, KIA
Neill, John L., 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, California, POW
Parker, David H., 2nd Lt, Bombardier, North Carolina, POW
Roach, Harry E., Jr, 2nd Lt, Navigator, Pennsylvania, EVD
Sterling, Jay R., 1st Lt, Pilot, Iowa, KIA
Whalon, William R., S/Sgt, Gunner, Connecticut, KIA
Cleavelin, Jessie C., S/Sgt, Gunner, Oklahoma, KIA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
He resided in Oklahoma prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1939.
Jessie was "Killed In Action" when his B-17F was hit by a direct aerial bomb and crashed near St. Pere-en-Retz, France during the war. He was awarded the Purple Heart.
He was originally interred in the Pont du Cens Cemetery, France and was later repatriated here.
Service # 06293947
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jessie enlisted in 1939 in the Balloon Corps and later transferred to the Air Corps and later became a member of the 1Lt Sterling crew in the USA. Failed to exit "Black Swan" on mission #29 and was killed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 10 man Crew of the "Black Swan":
Cashman, Daniel J., S/Sgt, Gunner, Massachusetts, KIA
Fields, Harley W., T/Sgt, Radio-Op, Michigan, KIA
Griffin, Powell E., T/Sgt, Engineer, Alabama, POW
McCormick, Arthur R., S/Sgt, Turret Gunner, Maine, KIA
Neill, John L., 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, California, POW
Parker, David H., 2nd Lt, Bombardier, North Carolina, POW
Roach, Harry E., Jr, 2nd Lt, Navigator, Pennsylvania, EVD
Sterling, Jay R., 1st Lt, Pilot, Iowa, KIA
Whalon, William R., S/Sgt, Gunner, Connecticut, KIA
Cleavelin, Jessie C., S/Sgt, Gunner, Oklahoma, KIA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
Jessie served as a Staff Sergeant and Tail Gunner on B-17F #42-5780 "Black Swan", 427th Bomber Squadron, 303rd Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.
He resided in Oklahoma prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1939.
Jessie was "Killed In Action" when his B-17F was hit by a direct aerial bomb and crashed near St. Pere-en-Retz, France during the war. He was awarded the Purple Heart.
He was originally interred in the Pont du Cens Cemetery, France and was later repatriated here.
Service # 06293947
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jessie enlisted in 1939 in the Balloon Corps and later transferred to the Air Corps and later became a member of the 1Lt Sterling crew in the USA. Failed to exit "Black Swan" on mission #29 and was killed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 10 man Crew of the "Black Swan":
Cashman, Daniel J., S/Sgt, Gunner, Massachusetts, KIA
Fields, Harley W., T/Sgt, Radio-Op, Michigan, KIA
Griffin, Powell E., T/Sgt, Engineer, Alabama, POW
McCormick, Arthur R., S/Sgt, Turret Gunner, Maine, KIA
Neill, John L., 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, California, POW
Parker, David H., 2nd Lt, Bombardier, North Carolina, POW
Roach, Harry E., Jr, 2nd Lt, Navigator, Pennsylvania, EVD
Sterling, Jay R., 1st Lt, Pilot, Iowa, KIA
Whalon, William R., S/Sgt, Gunner, Connecticut, KIA
Cleavelin, Jessie C., S/Sgt, Gunner, Oklahoma, KIA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
He resided in Oklahoma prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1939.
Jessie was "Killed In Action" when his B-17F was hit by a direct aerial bomb and crashed near St. Pere-en-Retz, France during the war. He was awarded the Purple Heart.
He was originally interred in the Pont du Cens Cemetery, France and was later repatriated here.
Service # 06293947
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jessie enlisted in 1939 in the Balloon Corps and later transferred to the Air Corps and later became a member of the 1Lt Sterling crew in the USA. Failed to exit "Black Swan" on mission #29 and was killed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The 10 man Crew of the "Black Swan":
Cashman, Daniel J., S/Sgt, Gunner, Massachusetts, KIA
Fields, Harley W., T/Sgt, Radio-Op, Michigan, KIA
Griffin, Powell E., T/Sgt, Engineer, Alabama, POW
McCormick, Arthur R., S/Sgt, Turret Gunner, Maine, KIA
Neill, John L., 2nd Lt, Co-Pilot, California, POW
Parker, David H., 2nd Lt, Bombardier, North Carolina, POW
Roach, Harry E., Jr, 2nd Lt, Navigator, Pennsylvania, EVD
Sterling, Jay R., 1st Lt, Pilot, Iowa, KIA
Whalon, William R., S/Sgt, Gunner, Connecticut, KIA
Cleavelin, Jessie C., S/Sgt, Gunner, Oklahoma, KIA
( Bio & Crew Report by: Russ Pickett )
Inscription
SSGT 427 BOMB SQ 303 BOMB GP (H) OKLAHOMA
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Oklahoma
Family Members
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