According to the book description of Wings of Tru Love: A WWII Ball-Turret Gunner Memoir, "author Kenneth C Drinnon joined the United States Army Air Force in 1943 and served in the European Theater as a B17 ball-turret gunner with the 8^th Air Force, 487th Heavy Bomb Group, and 838th Squadron. He flew thirty-four aerial combat missions from October 22, 1944 to February 28, 1945 over Nazi, Germany and attained the rank of Staff Sergeant before being discharged in 1945. There were several notable bombing missions, including the synthetic oil refineries at Merseberg, Germany and several against transportation facilities in support of the Army ground forces during the Battle of the Bulge, but the one most remembered by aviators of the 487th Bomb Group was December 24, 1944 when General Frederick W. Castle was killed while leading a two thousand plane bomber mission for the Eight Air Force and piloting the lead plane of the 487th Bomb Group. Both the 487th Bomb Group and the Luftwaffe suffered many casualties during an aerial gun battle."