John McDuffee Greeley was born on July 7, 1922 in Fort Wayne, Indiana to Michael Paul and Jane McDuffee Greeley Gakle. His father was head of the Mathematics Department at Southside High School before he died suddenly of a heart attack in 1925. They had two sons Phillip and John. His mother was also a teacher and remarried to Herman Gakle who raised John and his brother.

He worked as a Fireman for the Pennsylvania Railroad before he enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces and served during World War II. He received his wings at Lubbock Field in Texas on November 3, 1943. Greeley had the rank of Second Lieutenant. Service number assignment was O-696567. Attached to 440th Troop Carrier Group, 50th Troop Carrier Wing, 9th Troop Carrier Command as a Co Pilot.

He was on the crew of C-47A Skytrain #42-100905 from the 9th Air Force. They were transporting paratroopers from the 101st Airborne Division on the morning of June 6, 1944, in support of the D-Day landings. The transport was brought down by German anti-aircraft fire west of Magneville with the loss of 18 paratroopers and the transport's 4 crew members.

John McDuffee Greeley is buried at Riverview Cemetery, Dunn Mill, Allen County, Indiana.

COMMENDATIONS

★ Purple Heart

★ Air Medal

Crew of C-47A Skytrain #42-100905 from the 9th Air Force

Pilot: 1st Lt. Ray B Pullen, KY fold3 O-684552

Navigator: S/Sgt. Finney W Gordon, OK fold3 18162875

Co Pilot: 2nd Lt. John M Greeley, IN fold3 O-696567

Radio Operator: S/Sgt. Sidney H Saltzman, PA fold3 13154470

**READ THE STORIES OF ALL 18 PARATROOPERS ON THIS FLIGHT **

Click here- https://www.fold3.com/page/653614638/flight-c-47a-skytrain-42-100905-stories-of-the-crew-and-18-paratroopers-lost-on-d-day-june-6-1944

Thank you for your supreme sacrifice in service to your country.

_This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project _https://www.storiesbehindthestars.org/. This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smart phone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

Sources:

https://www.ancestry.com/ - 1920, 1930, 1940 census, draft card

https://www.findagrave.com/

https://www.honorstates.org/index.php