JOHN VERNON BUXTON

Sgt., US Army Air Corps

Service #14057695

John Buxton was born 28 Sep 1921 in Fort Dodge, Webster County, Iowa. He was the elder son of Evelyn Crouse and Thomas Vernon Buxton, who married on 24 Sep 1920 in Webster County. Around 1923 the younger son, William, was born. Before 1930, the family relocated to Miami, Dade County, Florida where Thomas worked for a power and light company. By 1940 he was an electrical engineer. John had a paper route that year and was in his junior year in high school. In the city directory for 1941, John was listed as a student, fourth year, living at home.

On 13 Jun 1941 John enlisted in the Army Air Corps in Jacksonville, FL as a private. He was described as 5'-5" tall and 125 pounds. News of his enlistment, along with that of eight others, was announced in the newspaper the same day; four of them were sent to Bakersfield, California for the air corps unit. In December of 1941, just weeks after the attack on Pearl Harbor, his brother, William, followed him into the military, enlisting in the army air corps at Camp Blanding. A year later both young men were sergeants. By 20 Nov 1943 John was attending gunner’s instructor school at Fort Myers after duty at Kingman Field, Arizona before being sent overseas.

John was assigned to 324 Bomb Squad of the 91st Bomb Group, flying B-17 (43-38000) out of Station 121 near Cambridge, England. His position on the plane was Ball Turret Gunner. On 16 Aug 1944, their assignment was a bombing raid targeting Halle, Germany. At approximately 1000 hours east of Eisenach, Germany aircraft B-17-G, 43-38000 was hit from the rear at 5 o’clock by 25 enemy fighters. “Twenty-millimeter shells started hitting the right wing tip and walked up along the wing to the fuselage. This set the tanks between No. 3 and 4 engines on fire and flames flared back for about 30 feet. The aircraft then pulled up vertically and about 4 seconds later exploded with bombs on board. This ship disintegrated completely and no parachutes were seen to come from it.” Sergeant John Vernon Buxton was one of seven confirmed dead as result of enemy fire. He was deemed MIA, age 22, which earned him a Purple Heart. One year later, in 1945, he was declared dead, KIA. He is memorialized at Arlington National Cemetery, Section 18, Site 16092. His brother, Billy, survived the war.

“This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ of the US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Together we Served and Fold3/Find A Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of the WWII fallen.”

SOURCES

1930 United States Federal Census – Ancestry.com

1940 United States Federal Census – Ancestry.com

https://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/129225

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49224603/john-vernon-buxton

https://www.fold3.com/image/28664696 (Missing Air Crew Reports, 1st of 11 pages)

Iowa, U.S., Births (Series) 1880-1904, 1921-1944 and Delayed Births (series), 1856-1940 – Ancestry.com

Iowa, U.S., Marriage records, 1880-1945 – Ancestry.com

The Miami News (Miami, Florida) - 13 Jun 1941, Fri - Page 14

The Miami Herald (Miami, Florida) - 21 Dec 1941, Sun - Page 49

The Miami News (Miami, Florida) - 14 Dec 1942, Mon - Page 3

The Miami Herald (Miami, Florida) - 20 Nov 1943, Sat - Page 9

The Miami Herald (Miami, Florida) -19 Sep 1944, Tue - Page 10

U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995 – Ancestry.com

U.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 – Ancestry.com

SBTS/Florida/Dade

John V Buxton