Bernard A. Becker
Courier Tribune
2 Mar 1942
page 1
Corporal Bernard Becker, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ed. J. Becker is stationed at Sheppard Field, Tex. Duties connected with troops movement brought him to Ft. Leavenworth recently and he was able to have a short visit home.
Courier Tribune
25 Jun 1942
page 2
Corporal Bernard Becker, Sheppard Field, Wichita Falls, Texas, came Tuesday evening to visit his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ed. J. Becker. Bernard has a 15-day furlough.
Courier Tribune
22 Oct 1942
page 2
Ed. J. Becker received word from his son, Sgt. Bernard Becker last week that he has been sent to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he will receive training as an aerial gunner. His new address is Student Det Class 12-46, AFGS, Las Vegas, Nevada. Bernard has been stationed at Sheppard Field, Wichita Falls, Texas, and has been troop train supervisor several months.
Courier Tribune
30 Mar 1944
page 1
No Direct Word Received
from S/Sgt. Bernard Becker
Mr. and Mrs. Ed J. Becker have received no authentic information regarding their son, Bernard, staff sergeant and radio man on a bomber and reported missing since Sept. 6. Mr. and Mrs. Becker had learned however from relatives of members of Bernard’s crew, that there are German prisoners of war also that the navigator and bombardier have returned to their base in England. All of this information is encouraging to the Becker family and they are hoping they may soon have word of their own son.
Courier Tribune
20 Nov 1944
page 1
Still Listed as Missing
AFTER 14. MONTHS TIME
S/Sgt. Bernard Becker
Retained on Missing
List By Officials
Mr. and Mrs. Edward J. Becker, Seneca, have received word from the Adjutant’s office, Washington, D. C., that their son, S/Sgt. Bernard A. Becker, is to be continued in the status of “missing in action.” He has been missing since Sept. 6, 1943 in the European area.
According to law, the case of each person who has been missing in action for 12 months, is reviewed by the War Department, and in most cases, at least in this area, the soldier or sailor has been declared legally dead. This conclusion was not made in the case of Bernard Becker, staff sergeant and ball turret gunner aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress. The bomber was lost south of Paris, France, while returning from a bombing mission to Stuttgart, Germany, on September 6th of last year.
A recent letter to Mr. and Mrs. E. J. Becker, Seneca, from J. A. Ulio, stated that all information concerning S/Sgt. Becker was carefully reviewed and considered and an official determination was made as of September 7, 1944, continuing him in the status of missing in action.
This information added hope to Mr. and Mrs. Becker’s belief that their son is still alive. They believe him to be somewhere in France, perhaps with underground forces.
The office of the Adjutant General further informed Mr. and Mrs. Becker that they would receive immediate notification of any change in their son’s status.
Courier Tribune
30 Apr 1945
page 1
Seneca Flier Listed Lost
After Two Year Wait
War Department Notifies Mr: and Mrs. Ed. Becker Of Son, Bernard’s Death
‘s/Sgt. ‘Bernard Becker, radio operator and gunner on a B-17 Bomber, reported missing after September 6, 1943 is now declared dead by the War Department of the United States, according to word received about ten days ago in Seneca. For more than a year longer than usual, Bernard was retained on the missing list because there was no evidence to indicate otherwise.
The news came as quite a shock to Mr. and Mrs. Ed J. Becker even though they had received no definite information on which to base their hopes that their son was alive outside of the fact that one of the crew members said he had seen Bernard alight on the ground after leaving the plane by parachute, talked to him and had seen him pick up his chute and disappear in a wooded area near where he landed. This information came to the Beckers from their son, Edmund, who talked to the other flier.
Last year in September, a year after Bernard was reported missing, the government notified MrMr. and Mrs. Becker that he was being retained on that status. Bernard’s plane went down some 60 miles Southeast of Paris. Wednesday, Mr and Mrs. Becker received the Purple Heart Award in recognition of their son’s sacrifice, also a citation from President Truman.
Bernard was near his 26 th birthday when reported lost two years ago. He was born and raised in Seneca, attended Sts. Peter and Paul School and was a general favorite with people, both old and young because of his very friendly nature and cheerful disposition. He was a talented vocalist and often appeared on programs given by the church and general community programs as well. He entered service in September 1941, went overseas in April 1943. He took part in shuttle raids from England to Africa and back in 1942.
There are five other sons in the Becker family, two in service, one with TWA and two at home. They are Warrant Officer Edmund Becker, with the 17 th Airborne Division, Paratroopers, in France, who expects to arrive home in September; Ensign Ralph Becker: Norfolk, Va.; Justin has a responsible position as flight engineer with TWA and hopes to visit his parents soon.
The many friends of Mr. and Mrs. Becker and family are hopeful that they may still receive word of their son’s safety even though the government has found it advisable to declare him legally lost.
Courier Tribune
12 Nov 1945
page 1
Memorial Thursday For S Sgt. Bernard A. Becker,
The memory of S Sgt. Bernard A. Becker, son of Mr. and Mrs. Ed J. Becker, will be honored in a mass Thursday morning in Sts. Peter and Paul church, Seneca, at nine o’clock.
Sgt. Becker lost his life in Europe more than two years ago but was retained on the missing list more than year because no information was received to verify his death. He was a radio operator and gunner on a Bomber which went down 60 miles Southeast of Paris.
Bernard was 26 years old when reported missing. He served in the early air activity against the enemy in Europe, from African bases.
Notice to K. of C. Members
Members of Knights of Columbus will attend Memorial Services for Bro. Bernard Becker at Seneca, Thursday, Nov. 15 at 9:00 a.m. — John D. Cunningham, G.K.
The following was posted on Find A Grave memorial #107054642 by Michael Beckers:
Bernard Aloysius Becker was born in Seneca, Kansas on November 15, 1917. He was the son of Edward J. and Katherine Scholastic Ronnebaum Becker.
He enlisted on August 29, 1941 at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas in the Army Air Corps and was trained as an aerial gunner and assigned to a combat crew on a B-17F # 42-30203, nicknamed “Shack Up.”
. He was part of a replacement crew that arrived in June 1943 at Knettishall, England. This crew was assigned to the 560th Bomb Squadron of the 388th Bomb Group.They flew 13 missions between July and September, but had three aborts. On 6 September 1943, they were scheduled to participate in a raid on Stuttgart, Germany. When the formation arrived at the target, it was found to be obscured with clouds and smoke. The lead aircraft then led the way to a target of opportunity.
The formation found Strausberg, an industrial complex, free from clouds so this target was bombed. Flak was both intense and accurate. On the turn off target, enemy aircraft attacked. Becker’s B-17 was hit in #2 engine, causing it to catch fire and windmill. There was a huge hole in the right wing. The flailing prop blew off and struck the stabilizer, damaging it. Unable to keep up with the others, the B-17 fell out of formation.
It was immediately attacked by a number of German aircraft. It was shot down and crashed near Coudray, France. Some crew members evidently made it out as the report states four were killed and six were captured.
The 560th Bomb Squadron put up 24 aircraft for the mission. One aborted, and eleven were shot down. The number of crashes in the same area prevented positive retrieval and identification, so the 4 from this crew were declared Missing in Action, and were later declared Killed in Action. This was done on August 10, 1945.
SSgt Becker was returned to the U.S. and is buried in Saint Peter and Paul Cemetery in Seneca, Kansas.
The above Find a Grave site was created in 2013. There is a second Find a Grave site that was created in 2009 by Hannah G.
