The National WWII Museum mourns the loss of WWII veteran and dear friend John "Lucky" Luckadoo, who passed away on September 1 at age 103.
Born in 1922, Luckadoo joined the US Army Air Forces at 19 and was sent to England in 1943 with the 100th Bomb Groupthe legendary "Bloody Hundredth." He served as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber copilot, flying difficult and dangerous combat missions over Nazi-occupied Europe. He later served as the operations officer for the 351st and 350th Bomb Squadrons. In February 1944, Luckadoo was among the first members of the Bloody Hundredth to complete a tour of 25 missions and be sent home. Later in life, he helped to keep the legacy of the Bloody Hundredth alive by educating younger generations about their service and sacrifice.
In 2021, Luckadoo was awarded The National WWII Museum's Silver Service Medallion in recognition of his life of service and leadership. He is featured in the Museum's interactive Voices from the Front experience, and we are proud to have his oral history in our Digital Collections. We are grateful for Mr. Luckadoo's service and friendship, and our thoughts are with his family.
Born in 1922, Luckadoo joined the US Army Air Forces at 19 and was sent to England in 1943 with the 100th Bomb Groupthe legendary "Bloody Hundredth." He served as a B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber copilot, flying difficult and dangerous combat missions over Nazi-occupied Europe. He later served as the operations officer for the 351st and 350th Bomb Squadrons. In February 1944, Luckadoo was among the first members of the Bloody Hundredth to complete a tour of 25 missions and be sent home. Later in life, he helped to keep the legacy of the Bloody Hundredth alive by educating younger generations about their service and sacrifice.
In 2021, Luckadoo was awarded The National WWII Museum's Silver Service Medallion in recognition of his life of service and leadership. He is featured in the Museum's interactive Voices from the Front experience, and we are proud to have his oral history in our Digital Collections. We are grateful for Mr. Luckadoo's service and friendship, and our thoughts are with his family.