Owen Burns Streeper was born on August 7, 1922 in Normal, Illinois. He was the son of Bert Condon Streeper and Bess G. Grove Streeper. Staff Sergeant Streeper, gunner of the B-24 Liberator “Flak Finder”, took off from the southern Italian town of Torretta at 0630 on the 27th of May, 1944, to flatten the German bombers stationed at Salon-de-Provence. At 1000, the “Flak Finder” lived up to its name, taking a direct hit in its right wing and forcing the crew to bail out at the summit of the Pic de l'Aiglo, between Thorenc and Le Mas. He managed to escape the German searches and French collaborators to finally make it home safely.

He founded the McLean County Rescue Squad and served as chief from 1968-2005. In 1970 he started Special Service Inc. along with his son designing and manufacturing rescue equipment. He also started Emergency Squad Training Institute which along with his son, Owen taught rescue squads throughout the United States, Canada, Puerto Rico and Columbia the techniques for auto extrication and aerial rescue.

Owen died on February 13, 2013 in Chenoa, Illinois at the age of 90 and is now buried in the Evergreen Memorial Cemetery, Bloomington, McLean County, Illinois, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com