By Howard Wilkinson
The Cincinnati Enquirer

Sue Veldkamp keeps alive the World War II career of her uncle, 2nd Lt. Jack M. Buxton, with a Web site of his letters, recordings and other mementos. The Withrow graduate was killed in a bombing mission over Magdeburg, Germany, in 1944. The Cincinnati Enquirer/MICHAEL E. KEATING

John Milton Buxton - better known as "Jack" - was the son every mother hoped for.

Handsome and intelligent, he was a talented singer with a rich baritone voice who was adored by the girls at Withrow High School.

No one was surprised that when the nation went to war, Jack Buxton would go, too, signing up in 1942 with two other buddies who shared his dream of becoming an Army Air Force pilot.

Two years later, at 21, Buxton was dead. The B-24 Liberator he flew on a bombing run over Magdeburg, Germany, was brought down by anti-aircraft fire. All but one of the 10-man crew died.

It was only the second bombing mission for the young pilot. But his story did not end there.

Nearly six decades later, the niece he never met - Sue Veldkamp of Anderson Township - compiled the dozens of letters Buxton wrote during the war to his mother, Gladys Buxton. Veldkamp's mother, Mary Jo Memke, who was 13 when her brother died, had kept them in near-perfect condition.

Veldkamp created a Web site devoted to keeping his memory alive. In addition to the letters, there are photos of the young pilots, the places where he trained, the plane he flew and four songs the prize-winning baritone recorded for his mother before he left to go to war.

"I wanted it to be a tribute to a true hero,'' said Veldkamp.

The letters posted on the Web site are often poignant, often full of good humor and always reassuring to a mother sitting at home in Madisonville worrying about her boy.

He wrote of being temporarily housed at a base in Ireland:

We have some real weather around here. If an Irishman wakes up in the morning and can see the mountains, he knows that it will rain before the day is done. If he can't see the mountains, he knows that it's raining.

Then, in August 1944, came the final letter from the young pilot:

The four officers - we're living together in a nice room. We have our new English radio, which makes the evenings much shorter.

On Aug. 28, 1944, the Western Union telegram came to the Buxton home on Arnsby Place:, a message from the War Department to Gladys Buxton:

The Secretary of War desires me to express his deep regret that your son, Second Lt. John M. Buxton has been reported missing in action since 16 August over Germany. If further details or other information are received you will be promptly notified.

No further information came. It was not until 1950, five years after the war ended, that the remains of Buxton and his crew were found in Germany. He was buried at the Army's Jefferson Barracks near St. Louis.

More onlineTo read the complete collection of letters, go to www.heroinflight.com.