Memorial

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S/Sgt Reino J. Hyry was a chemist.

He enlisted in Traverse City, Michigan, on 12 June 1942.

The navigator, Capt Richard R. Ketchun, remembered the following: "As Navigator on 44-77527, I observed that we were hit by what was probably flak at the exact moment we dropped our troops on the DZ. About 2½ minutes later, after we had made the turn to come back out, we received what seemed to be a direct hit because the plane must have been thrown up at least three feet. It was there that I noticed that the entire right wing was on fire. The pilot, Lt Sarrett, ordered us to bail out".
"At the time, I went back to get my parachute I could not see either the radio operator or the crew chief in the ship. It was at this time I observed one paratrooper who seemed to be badly wounded in the upper part of his body and also his stomach and knee, he seemed to be almost dead and in no shape to jump. The co-pilot jumped leaving only Lt Sarrett, the paratrooper, and myself in the plane. I saw Lt Sarrett get out of his seat with his chute on and head for the back. It was at this time that I jumped."

Three crew members survived and returned to duty, two men were killed. About the paratrooper to which Capt Ketchun referred in his statement, no information is available. In fact, It is possible no paratrooper had remained in the airplane.

The airplane carried 32 passengers, all members of the 513th Parachute Infantry Regiment of the 17th Airborne Division.