The following is an edited excerpt of the life narrative that will be read during the 2024 Gold Star Hall Ceremony.
In search of opportunity, Sidney Peterson left his hometown of Ringsted and moved to Chicago, following in the footsteps of his older brothers. It was during the Great Depression and the steel mills offered better paying jobs than what the brothers might find in northwest Iowa.
Peterson briefly returned to Iowa in the late 1930s and attended Iowa State University from 1938-39. During his time at Iowa State, Peterson discovered a passion for the natural world. He decided to pursue a major in forestry and was active in the forestry club and the military department’s trumpet and drum corps.
Eventually, Peterson reunited with his brothers in Chicago only to part again with the onset of World War II. Peterson entered the service on Feb. 3, 1942, and went to Randolph Field in Texas to train as a pilot.
During his time in Texas, Peterson fell in love with a woman who was a member of the USO, which is the support organization for military service members and their families. Peterson made a promise to his sweetheart that when he was finished with his tour of duty, they would be married.
After training in Texas, Peterson traveled the world in service to his country and was eventually stationed in England. During his service, Peterson piloted a bomber on more than 50 missions. One of his missions was recorded in the Waterloo Daily Courier on Sept. 1, 1943. The report stated that on Aug. 31, 1943, he flew the “Liberty Belle,” a Marauder bomber, on a mission that bombed the Bethune chemical plant in Northern France.
In May 1944, Allied forces were preparing for the large-scale invasion of Normandy, France. It would mark the beginning of the liberation of France from German occupation and was the culmination of months of planning and buildup along the English Channel, with troops and supplies being amassed in anticipation of the cross-channel attack. Allied forces were actively training, assembling troops and preparing naval and air support for the upcoming invasion of Normandy.
One more mission
On May 28, 1944, the flight took off from the U.S. Army Air Corps Base in England. The assigned bombing target was a railroad bridge in Saint-Germain, northwest of central Paris – part of the Allied push to disrupt German supply lines. Peterson was aboard a B-26B Marauder.
During the flight, the crew drew German anti-aircraft fire, and the B-26 went into a dive with one engine on fire. Despite efforts to escape, three crew members, including Peterson, died. Two other crew members survived but were taken prisoners of war. Peterson was declared missing after this encounter and declared dead six months later. The two prisoners of war were eventually released and made it back to the United States after the war ended.
On the day he went missing, Peterson was supposed to end his tour of duty and reunite with his family after being stationed in England for more than a year serving the Allied cause. However, he decided to go on one more mission – taking the place of a friend in the Air Corps who was sick – before flying home. It was Peterson’s 60th mission.
After his passing, Peterson was honored with numerous medals and awards, including the prestigious Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with a notable ten oak leaf clusters and a Purple Heart. The Distinguished Flying Cross is awarded for heroism or extraordinary achievement during flight. The Air Medal is awarded to U.S. personnel for meritorious achievements while participating in aerial flight. The oak leaf cluster added to a medal indicates that a service member has received that medal more than once.
In Peterson’s hometown of Ringsted, his legacy lives on every Memorial Day along with those of the other military members who gave their lives in service. The town commissions a pilot to fly the casket flags of Ringsted’s deceased service members in a stirring airborne tribute of thanks.
