Tricker, Jack L. 

JACK LEMOYNE TRICKER

STAFF SGT.
U.S. ARMY AIR CORPS

Jack Lemoyne Tricker was born on July 21st, 1921 in Decatur, Indiana. His parents were Elmer and Grace Tricker. He was the second youngest in his family, with two older brothers Richard and Kenneth, two older sisters Sharon and Maxine (who died as a child), and a younger sister Betty. Jack attended Decatur High School and graduated with the class of 1939. He participated in the school play that year "Growing Up", and was also a cheerleader. His senior year yearbook described him as "having the talking part of the senior play", and that Jack "possessed the best lung stamina and acrobatic qualities...". 

Shortly after graduating high school he moved up north with his family to the town of Sturgis, Michigan, where he became a clerk. When war broke out, Jack enlisted into the Army Air Corps in Kalamazoo Michigan on September 23, 1942. 

Upon completion of basic training, he was assigned to B-17 42-5112, otherwise known as the "Dixie Flyer" as an aerial gunner. Jack served in the 543rd Bombardment Squadron, 383rd Bombardment Group. The 543rd Bombardment Squadron began as a B-17 training unit based out of Rapid City Army Airbase in Rapid City, South Dakota. 

The group would later transition to B-24's in Peterson, Colorado; and ultimately, by 1944 they were reorganized as a Very Heavy Bombardment Group flying the new Boeing B-29 Superfortress. The Group was sent overseas to the (now allied controlled) island of Okinawa as part of the 8th Air Force in August 1945. The war ended, however, before they entered combat. 

While still a B-17 training group, Staff Sergeant Jack Tricker was killed on May 22, 1943 during an evening training mission when his plane crashed near Rapid City, South Dakota. The aircraft departed Rapid City Airbase at night for a practice bombing mission at the newly developed Rapid City Precision Bombing Range near Newell, South Dakota. Details surrounding the crash are limited but it was speculated that the pilots became disoriented, lost their fix on the horizon, and crashed into the ground. The entire eleven-man crew was killed upon impact. 

Staff Sergeant Tricker's remains were sent to Sturgis, Michigan for a funeral service conducted by the Sturgis American Legion. Military rites and burial took place May 28, 1943 in Decatur Cemetery, Decatur, IN. 

For his service and sacrifice, SSgt. Tricker earned the American Campaign Medal and the WWII Victory Medal. 

Information researched and collected by Luke Spannan, 2016. 

SOURCES

Anonymous. "Jack L. Tricker." Findagrave.com. Find A Grave, Inc., 25 Feb. 2009. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

11 RCAB Flyers Killed in Bomber Crash At Newell." Deadwood Pioneer times. Deadwood Pioneer times, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Anonymous. "383d Bombardment Group." Wikipedia.com. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Anonymous. "543d Bombardment Group." Wikipedia.com. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Anonymous. "313thBombardment Group." Wikipedia.com. Wikipedia, n.d. Web. 30 Nov. 2016.

Ancestry.com. Indiana, Birth Certificates, 1907-1940 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2016.

Ravelings 1939

Ravelings 1944

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