James was born on August 1, 1921 in Jefferson, Greene County, Iowa. He was the son of George Wesley Flack and Mary Lamb.[1] The family moved to Ames when James was four and he attended public schools in Ames, graduating from the city's high school in 1939.



After high school James attended Iowa State College (now Iowa State University).



James first enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Corps on August 7, 1941. He was assigned to the Virden Flying School in Manitoba, Canada. He transferred to the U.S. Army Air Corps on June 2, 1942 and four days later received his wings at Ellington Field in Texas.



Following training at Midland, Texas; Columbia, South Carolina; and Waterboro, South Carolina, he was assigned to the 487th Bomber Squadron, 340th Bomber Group, as a Captain. He was shipped overseas on February 14, 1943. His plane was shot down and he was reported as missing in action on August 16, 1943 but not before he had been involved in the Tunisian campaign in North Africa and the Sicilian campaign.



It was almost two weeks before his mother was notified of his status. The announcement was made to the general public in the Jefferson Bee on August 31, 1943.



-- Sincere sympathy goes out to Mrs. Mary Flack of Ames and her Greene county relatives because of the fact that her second son, Capt. James Flack, who was leader of a flying squadron, has been missing in action since August 16, when he and his comrades were flying on a mission over Sicily. Mrs. Flack received official notice Thursday from the war department.[2]

Radio operator Robert L. Goulding later described what happened to the B