Roy Donald Beukelman was born on March 20, 1919, in Douglas County, South Dakota. He was the son of James Hendrik Beukelman and Anna Brink Beukelman. He graduated from Corsica High School in 1936 and attended Southern State Normal School in Springfield, South Dakota, for two years. Before entering military service, he worked as a schoolteacher until he was drafted into the United States Army on August 6, 1941. In January 1942, Beukelman enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps and subsequently underwent aviation training. He graduated as a navigator on November 13, 1943, and departed for overseas duty in England in February 1944, where he served aboard American military aircraft conducting missions over German-occupied Europe. He served in the 785th Bomber Squadron, 466th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a Second Lieutenant and Navigator of B-24H #42-52587, nicknamed ''Shoo Shoo Baby" during World War II.

On March 23, 1944, the B-24H Liberator Shoo Shoo Baby was lost in a midair collision over the German-occupied Netherlands. The aircraft had departed RAF Attlebridge in Norfolk, England, on a bombing mission against Achmer Airfield, northwest of Osnabrück, Germany. It was the 466th Bombardment Group's second combat mission, and the formation encountered unfavorable weather conditions while approaching its target. At approximately 9:50 a.m., while flying over the Dutch province of Overijssel, Shoo Shoo Baby collided with another B-24H Liberator from the same squadron, #41-29466, nicknamed Dark Rhapsody. Both aircraft sustained catastrophic damage and plunged into the lakes and marshlands near Sint Jansklooster and Vollenhove. Shoo Shoo Baby crashed into Lake Boschwijde, approximately five kilometers east of Vollenhove, while Dark Rhapsody fell into nearby Lake Belterwijde. The collision claimed the lives of all nine crew members aboard Dark Rhapsody and six of the ten airmen aboard Shoo Shoo Baby. Four crew members survived the crash; local Dutch civilians rescued three from the water, while the fourth reportedly remained hidden in the surrounding marshland for about 30 hours before receiving assistance. The Dutch Resistance subsequently aided the survivors, although some were later captured by German forces, while others continued to evade capture with the help of underground escape networks.

2Lt Beukelman was Killed in Action and is now buried in the Harrison Cemetery, Harrison, Douglas County, South Dakota, USA.

Sources of information: www.findagrave.com, stadvollenhove.nl, americanarchive.iwm.org.uk