Thomas W. Ruark, of Baltimore, Maryland, was born on February 25, 1920. He served in the 354th Fighter Squadron, 355th Fighter Group, as a Second Lieutenant and Fighter pilot during World War II.

On June 27, 1944, at 05:28 PM, 2Lt Ruark took off from Station 122 airfield in Steeple Morden, England, aboard P-51 #42-103802 (Lt Ralph C Schutt's usual plane) for a dive-bombing mission. 2Lt Ruark was flying in the no. 2 position of the Falcon 52 Blue section. On radio call, the section went to the rescue of B-17 bombers NE of Paris after dropping the bombs on an airfield and attacking a formation of 20 or 30 Me109s - 2Lt Ruark was fighting against nine Me109s and was shot down. He was able to parachute out of his plane and with the aid of the maquis, he was able to survive and returned to the UK on August 13, 1944. He was one of the 152 allied airmen and soldiers who were helped and hidden in the Freteval Forest camp by the French Resistance to evade German capture.

2Lt Ruark died in 2007, but his current burial place is unknown.

Source of information: francecrashes39-45.net