1st Lt. Francis G. Peattie
USAAF, 5th Air Force, 43rd Bomb Group (43rd BG), 65th Bomb Squadron (65th BS)
Bombardier B-17E "Naughty But Nice" 41-2430

Background
Francis Gerard Peattie was born November 19, 1918 in Beacon, Dutchess County, New York. He was a volunteer fire fighter. On January 8, 1942 enlisted in the U.S. Army with serial number 32192349. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant with serial number O-727655 and trained as a bombardier

Assigned to the 43rd Bombardment Group (43rd BG) "Ken's Men" based at 7 Mile Drome near Port Moresby in New Guinea. He flew aboard B-17 Flying Fortresses as a bombardier flying bombing missions over New Guinea and New Britain.

Mission History
On a June 26, 1943 mission to Rabaul as bombardier on B-17E "Naughty But Nice" 41-2430, he was shot down and killed in the aircraft crash. His remains were recovered due to the efforts of fellow crew member, Jose Holguin who re-discovered the crash site in 1982 and US Army CILHI forensic work to identify additional remains recovered at the site that proved to be his.

Memorials
Peattie was official declared dead on June 26, 1943. He earned the Silver Star with Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC), Air Medal and Purple Heart, posthumously. He is memorialized at Manila American Cemetery on the tablets of the missing. After he was identified in 1985, a rosette was added next to his name indicating he was accounted-for.

In 1985, when his remains were identified, he was permanently buried in the Old Beacon cemetery, next to his parents graves. On April 1, 2005, Curt Holguin, son of navigator Jose Holguin visited beacon with his family to pay respects at the grave and fire house.

In his home town of Beacon, there is a memorial plaque at the Lewis Tomkins Hose Company #1 where Peattie volunteered as a fireman prewar. At the firehouse, there is a display of his medals and a piece of wreckage from the B-17 donated by surviving crew member Jose Holguin. On April 1, 2005, Curt Holguin son of Jose Holguin visited Beacon with his family to pay respects at the grave and fire house.

References
NARA World War II Army Enlistment Records - Francis G. Peattie
American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC) - Francis G. Peattie "recovered and identified in 2001"
FindAGrave - Francis Gerard Peattie (Old Saint Joachims Cemetery grave photo)
FindAGrave - 1Lt Francis G Peattie (tablets of the missing)