Finney W Gordon was born on February 7, 1915 in Barnsdall, Oklahoma to Raymond and Dessie Nicholson Gordon. Raymond worked for a Gas Company as a laborer. His mother Dessie died in 1925 and his father remarried. According to newspaper clippings Finney was married to a Ida “Billie” L. Neese, no additional information could be found for her.

He had enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces on November 27, 1942 at Tulsa. He served during World War II. Gordon had the rank of Staff Sergeant. Service number assignment was 18162875. Attached to 440th Troop Carrier Group, 50th Troop Carrier Wing, 9th Troop Carrier Command as a Navigator.

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.

Finney W Gordon is buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Tulsa, Tulsa County, Oklahoma,.

COMMENDATIONS

★ Purple Heart

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