Stephen John Manzek was born on 12 July 1921 in Watts, Tioga, New York. He joined the US Army Air Force on 14 May 1942 from Sayre, Pennsylvania. Stephen served as a Second Lieutenant and Navigator on the B-17G #42-102552 "Horn's Hornets" aircraft, 339th Bomber Squadron, 96th Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II.

The plane took off from 138 Snetterton Heath, Norfolk, UK on a bombing mission over the oil storage facilities at Gennevilliers, a suburban area of Paris. While the B-17 inflicted major damage upon the target, Paris was surrounded with infamous flak, and two of the twenty-five B-17s were shot down, including the Horn's Hornets. His plane spun down after flak knocked off the entire tail assembly and crashed in the streets of Rue Pajol and Rue Ricquet, Paris. Seven members from his crew were Killed in Action and three were taken as prisoners.

2LT Manzek got out of the plane and landed in St. Ouen. He was captured and was taken as prisoner and was sent to Stalag Luft I camp near Barth, Germany. He survived the war and also participated in the Vietnam War. He achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force and died on November 22, 2003, at the age of 82. Stephen is now buried in the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, The Best Travel Writing, Volume 10: True Stories from Around the World, www.ancestry.com