Norman Pershing Kempton was born on May 13, 1918, in Keldron, South Dakota. He was the son of Sanford Smith Kempton and Sophia Magnuson Kempton. He was married to Pearl Lena Sturgeon Kempton.

Norman served in the 560th Bomber Squadron, 388th Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Pilot on the B-17 #42-5899 'Sioux City Queen' during World War II.

On January 5, 1944, his crew took off from Station 136 airfield in Knettishall, England, for a mission to bomb the Bordeaux-Mérignac airfield in France. Shot down by flak and fighters at around 11:00 AM, they evacuated their plane by parachute at 6,000 feet except for PFC Sautter, who was mortally injured. Their aircraft crashed in St-Laurent-Médoc, France. Of the crew members who were able to bail out, three members were captured by the Germans and taken as prisoners, 5 evaded the capture, and another casualty due to an unopened parachute. 2Lt Kempton was one of the evadees. He returned to the UK on April 17, 1944.

Norman was recalled to active duty at the beginning of the Korean War. After nearly two years of active duty at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, he subsequently came to Patrick Air Force Base where he was Quality Assurance Engineer for the Titan 3C program until he retired. After he retired he became an avid golfer and sailor. He died on June 2, 2005, at the age of 87. He is now buried in the Barrancas National Cemetery, Pensacola, Escambia County, Florida, USA.

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