World War II Honoree

James V. Goss

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Rome, Georgia

Honored By

Laura Raines-Yaramishyn

Relationship

Niece

Rank: First Lieutenant. He learned to fly at the Rome, Georgia airport before enlisting in the Army Air Corps. He became a navigator. He served in the 418th Bomb Squadron of the 100th Bomb Group, known as the “Bloody Hundredth” because of the heavy losses sustained during the war. The 100th flew B-17 aircraft out of Thorpe Abbotts. The name given to his plane was “ Sack Artist", # 210698. He completed 34 of his 35 missions. On November 10,1944 they were on a mission to bomb the railroad marshaling yards at Wiesbaden in Germany. They had just taken over as lead plane when they were hit by flak and he was killed. The plane was severely damaged, lost 3 engines and crashed. After the war he was brought home and buried in his home town of Rome, Georgia in 1949.