Joseph A. Duch, born in 1924, was the husband of Seireeta Frye Langham. He served as a Staff Sergeant and Tail Gunner with the 413th Bomb Squadron, 96th Bomb Group (Heavy) during World War II, flying on the B-17G #42-97524.

On June 22, 1944, his crew departed from Station 138 in Snetterton Heath, England, for a bombing mission over Gennevilliers. On their return, their aircraft was hit by flak at 25,000 feet around 7:24 p.m. While all other crew members perished, SSgt Duch managed to evacuate the aircraft before it crashed on Avenue Estienne d'Orves in Joinville-le-Pont, France.

He was later captured by German forces and became a Prisoner of War, held at Stalag Luft 4, a notorious POW camp in Gross-Tychow, Pomerania, Prussia, which was later relocated to various places, including Wobbelin and Usedom. Serving in the European Theatre, specifically in France, as a member of the 96th Bomb Group, Joseph Duch was eventually liberated or repatriated at the end of the war, as recorded in the U.S. National Archives. He is now buried in Brooks Memorial Park, Paducah, McCracken County, Kentucky, USA.

Source of information: www.sonsoflibertymuseum.org