James Milton Shoop was born on January 8, 1923, in St. Lawrence, South Dakota, to Ray and Myrtle (Clegg) Shoop. James was the third son in the family of five children. Older brothers who also served in World War II were (Sergeant) Frank B. Shoop and (S/Sergeant) Herbert W. Shoop. Younger sisters were Alice Shoop Byron and Marian Shoop Heckard. James graduated from St. Lawrence High School in 1941. After high school and before the United States was at war, James went to Indiana to look for work. Since jobs were scarce, James decided to join the service.

 

James enlisted in the Army Air Corps on August 21, 1941, at Fort Benjamin Harrison near Indianapolis, Indiana. After entering the service, James was assigned various jobs: an M.P., a welder, and a bugler, among them. He later applied for and was accepted as an Aviation Cadet on January 20, 1943. He was commissioned as a second lieutenant as a pilot on November 3, 1943. The last time his family saw him was when he was home on furlough in November of 1943. On May 23, 1944, Lt. Shoop arrived in England after being involved in seventeen different transfers. He was part of the 9th Air Force Command, 452^nd Bomb Squadron, 322^nd Bomb Group.

 

Second Lieutenant James served as a member of a six man crew on a B‑26 Bomber. He was a member of the 452nd B‑Squadron. One week after D Day after crossing the English Channel and barely over land in France, their plane was hit by German antiaircraft fire. With a full load of bombs on board, the plane exploded. The mayor of the French town of Cheux buried the remains of the men. About a year after the war, the crew’s remains were disinterred and buried again in France as “unknown soldiers.” Later the U.S. Graves Registration identified James by his estimated height and the size of the shoe found in the grave. James is buried at Plot B, Row 19, Grave 42, Normandy American Cemetery (St. Laurent) overlooking Omaha Beach. His sister, Alice, visited his grave in the fall of 1977; Alice and Marian “continue to decorate his grave with flowers each Memorial Day.”

 

Citations and decorations he received include the Defense Service Ribbon, European Theatre of Operations Ribbon, and Bronze Star in ETO Ribbon. Also awarded posthumously were the Purple Heart and the Air Medal with a Bronze Star

Crew of B 26 Marauder
1st Lieutenant Larry L HOLMES	Pilot	Normandy Cemetery American
2nd Lieutenant James M SHOOP	Co Pilot	Normandy Cemetery American
2nd Lieutenant James G CORONES	Officer Bomber	Normandy Cemetery American
S Sergeant Irving FISCHER	Radio
Sergeant George D DAWSON	Mechanic
Sergeant George H PUSTELNIK	Gunner	Normandy Cemetery American