2Lt Jerry Brady Durden was born in Fort Smith, Ar on 28 Nov 1923 to Jeremiah Brady & Erma A. Paddock Durden. He graduated from Ft. Smith High School. His registration card says he was employed with M. L. Yantis at The Automotive in Fort Smith, Ar. He registered for the draft 30 Jun 1942 in Fort Smith. 2Lt Durden was assigned to the 485th Bu Gp 828 Bu Sq A/S Air Corps. He was killed in action July 20, 1944. The target that day was Friedrichschafen, Germany - Lufschiffbau Zepplin, an aircraft manufacturing plant. That company's fortunes soured during the Nazi era, particularly following the high-profile Hindenburg disaster. Its airships were grounded and scrapped in 1940 to produce fixed-wing combat aircraft for Nazi Germany's war machine. During the Second World War, the company became involved in the manufacture of the V2 rocket; its facilities were hit by Allied bombing raids and it all but ceased to exist in the final months of the conflict. 2Lt Jerry Brady Durden is buried in Rose Lawn Park Cemetery in Fort Smith, Ar. Metals Awarded to 2lt Jerry Durden: 06/16/1944 Air Medal 2LT Fort Smith AR 07/21/1944 Air Medal w/ Oak Leaf Cluster 2LT Fort Smith AR 08/08/1944 2LT MIA Fort Smith AR ------Below------ Owen crew - 828th Squadron - Original crew #17 from - http://www.485thbg.org/Photos/828th/828th.html Front Row, L - R: Joe Coker, Engineer/Gunner; William Roberts, Co-Pilot; Hudson Owen, Pilot; Jerry Durden, Bombardier; Perry Monroe, Gunner. Back Row, L - R: Alfred Aborjaily, Radio Operator/Gunner; George Mack, Gunner; Kenneth Ponte, Gunner; Herman Maurer, Gunner; Fales Holcomb, Navigator. The assigned plane for this crew was "My Brother and I". Fales and Durden were killed flying with Thomas Baker’s crew on 7/20/44, when the plane was shot down by fighters on the Friedrichschafen mission. Maurer was killed while flying with Bossart’s crew on 6/26/44 and Mack became a POW, also flying with Bossart’s crew on the 6/26/44 Vienna mission. Several from this crew were wounded when they crashed while landing at Bari on 6/28/44. Jerry is in the next pic but not identified