John Alfred “Jack” Weese was born on January 26, 1920, in Ann Harbor, Michigan. He was the son of Douglas Henry Weese and Lorena L Staebler Weese. He lived there as a child and later resided with his family in several Michigan cities. John graduated from the Durand High School, Durand, Mich., and returned to live in Ann Arbor with his parents in 1938. Before entering the service, he attended the Lawrence Institute of Technology in Detroit.
At the time of his death, John was serving in the 386th Fighter Squadron, 365th Fighter Group, as a Second Lieutenant and Fighter Pilot on the P-47 Thunderbolt #42-76297 'Tail end Charlie.' He was killed in the crash of his plane on June 10, 1944, in St-Aubin-sur-Mer, France.

On that day, 2Lt Weese took off from airfield Station 408 in Beaulieu, England, in a 4-ship flight on a patrol mission in the Cherbourg sector in France. At 01:10 PM, his plane was shot down by flak. Separated in the broken cloud deck, he radioed that he had been hit. With his engine oil pressure falling and a malfunctioning propeller, he reported that he could see the Normandy beachhead and thought he could belly-land behind friendly lines. He made no mention of being wounded but was apparently KIA.

2Lt Weese was initially buried at the small cemetery in Bernieres-sur-Mer. After the war, he was repatriated and now lies in Bethlehem Cemetery, Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, francecrashes39-45.net