Ornell J. Stauffer was born January 24, 1916 in Berne to David and Ida Stauffer. He had a sister, Betty Mae, who was six years younger than him. They lived in Berne their entire childhood, with David working at a store and Ida staying home with the kids. Ornell enlisted in the Army Air Corps on March 17, 1941, and received training all over the United States to become a pilot in the 468th Bombardment Group. He trained in Sikeston, Missouri; San Angelo, Texas; and Maxwell Field, Alabama. However, he himself was an instructor for a short time, and was posted at Greenville, Mississippi and Smyrna, Tennessee. During his service, he worked his way up to the rank of captain, piloting B-29's. On January 7, 1942 Ornell was married to Mary Eichenberger. He and his wife had a daughter named Susan Elyse—his plane, Calamity Sue, was named after her. While serving, Ornell was a member of the 468th Bombardment Group, which was established in May 1943. They were one of the first B-29 Super-Fortress groups to enter combat. On June 5, 1944 they flew their first operational mission, which was to bomb the railroad in Bangkok, Thailand. Ten days later, the 468th participated in the first attack on the Japanese mainland since the Doolittle Raid. While their target was the Imperial Iron and Steel Works in Yawata, the B-29's didn't succeed in destroying the factory, but it did make Japanese citizens more aware that they were losing the war and that it was coming to their home. Yawata was bombed again on August 20, 1944, and the city was mostly destroyed after the second bombing. For this, they were awarded a Distinguished Unit Citation. In February through May the 468th was relocated to Tinian, and was rewarded with two more Distinguished Unit Citations for their efforts in raids on Tokyo, Yokohama, and Takarazuka in May and June of 1945. In November of 1945, the 468th returned to the U.S. after helping drop supplies in P.O.W. camps, and was inactivated on March 21, 1946. On August 20, 1944, Ornell was killed on a bombing mission over Yawata, Japan. His plane Calamity Sue was hit by shrapnel from another plane, Gertrude C. Gertrude C was hit by a suicide plane flown by Japanese pilot, a Sergeant Nobe. The shrapnel from the crash ended up taking down Ornell and his crew also, and there were no survivors from either plane. The idea of suicide planes was only common for a short time in the Japanese Air Force, simply because it wasn't very effective. The kamikaze planes didn't always inflict the amount of damage the Japanese were hoping they would, and the debris didn't always hit other planes. Seventy years after his death, Ornell's family was presented with the medals he had earned during his service. He was awarded the Purple Heart, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal, Bronze Service Star, and the World War II Victory Medal. In addition, his unit was awarded a Presidential Unit Citation. Ornell is interred at the Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky. Information researched and collected by Rebeka Wilder, 2015.
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