Captain Ivan Paul Woodburn(O-761688) was the pilot of the “Miss Karen K.” He was born on 9 April 1917 in Providence, UT, the son of Paul B. Woodburn (1890-1971) and Maggie Harrison (James) Woodburn (1893-1966). After graduating from high school, Woodburn was the plant superintendent for Royal Baking Company in Ogden. About 1941, he married Lois B. and enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps in June 1942. He was given service number 19073752. He later earned his pilots wings and in 1943 Woodburn and his wife had a daughter Karan Lois Woodburn. They lived in Ogden.

In August 1944, Woodburn was assigned to the 388th Bomb Group in England. His entire B-17 crew had the picture of his young two-year-old daughter on the back of their bomber jackets. A newspaper article “Skipper’s Daughter Adorns Jackets” make mention that beside her picture on the jackets, a likeness of young Karan W. was also on the plane and the plane named “Karan W.” However in all the subsequent reports of this downed aircraft the name of the plane 44-8233 was always “Miss Karen K”. It is unclear was the correct name was.

Woodburn was captured and spent time in a POW camp. For his service as a pilot, Woodburn was awarded the air medal with three oak clusters. After the war he moved to Hawaii and was superintendent of the Holsum Bakery. He lived in Aiea, HI. He died on 2 July 2008 in Honolulu at age 91. He was buried in section K, site 382 at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, Punchbowl.

Crash of B-17 44-8223 MACR 12549