Arthur Miles Codding was born on August 17, 1922, in Keene, New Hampshire. He was married to Mary Jane Taylor Codding. He enlisted in the service on April 2, 1942. He served in the 562nd Bomb Squadron, 388th Bomb Group, as a First Lieutenant and Pilot of B-17 (42-102485) nicknamed 'Bare Essentials' during World War II.

On May 28, 1944, while on a mission to bomb Dessau, Germany, the aircraft was struck by anti-aircraft fire (flak), causing a fire on board. Despite the crew’s efforts to control the situation, they were forced to crash-land near Groenekan in the Netherlands. Several crew members lost their lives, while the survivors were captured and taken as prisoners of war. During this period, the group carried out numerous strategic bombing missions across Europe.

1Lt Codding was among those captured and taken as a prisoner of war. He was held at Stalag Luft 3 in Sagan-Silesia Bavaria. After recovering, he served in Japan as part of the occupation forces and ended as his miltary service as a Lieutenant Colonel. He worked as an insurance agent for Northwestern Mutual and achieved the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designation. He was active in American Legion Post #21, the 388th Bomber Group Association, and Concord Presbyterian Church. LtCol Codding died on June 4, 2005, and is now buried in the Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church Cemetery, Owls Nest, New Castle County, Delaware, USA.

Source of information: b17flyingfortress.de, www.findagrave.com, aad.archives.gov