Eugene L. “Gene” Ziesel was born on February 22, 1919 in Omaha, NE. He was the second of three children born to William and Claire (Becker) Ziesel – having an older brother, William “Bill” Ziesel, and a younger sister, Claire (Ziesel) Von Tersch.

The Ziesel family attended St. Cecilia Cathedral where Gene attended school through the 8th grade.

Following grade school, Gene joined his brother at Creighton Prep High School. The Ziesel brothers were outstanding athletes. Bill, nicknamed “Zipper,” and Gene, nicknamed “Little Zipper,” played together on Prep’s 1936 state champion basketball team and 1936 city co-champion baseball team. Gene also starred as a halfback and defensive back on the football team, and was named to the All-Intercity team in 1936.

Following his graduation from Creighton Prep in 1937, Gene enrolled at Creighton University where he reunited with his brother on the football team. Gene also continued his basketball career and earned varsity letters in both sports. While at Creighton, Gene also prepared for military service as a member of the ROTC.

Gene graduated with a business degree in May 1941. However, he was not present at the graduation ceremony because he had already enlisted as an Aviation Cadet in the U.S. Army Air Corps. Gene was trained as a B-24 bomber pilot at the Cal-Aero Academy in Ontario, CA, and earned his wings in December 1941.

In May 1942, Gene was promoted to 1st Lieutenant and was assigned to the 514th Bomb Squadron, 376th Bomb Group, Heavy, based in North Africa.

On June 11, 1942, Gene was the co-pilot aboard a B-24, the “Blue Goose,” on a bombing mission to the Ploesti Oil Fields in Rumania. After releasing their bomb load, the crew determined they didn’t have enough fuel to make it back to their base in Syria. They made the decision to land in neutral Turkey. Upon landing in Ankara, the crew was interned.

While interned, Gene and seven other U.S. servicemen began making plans to escape to return to their unit. Gene convinced Turkish officials that the B-24 engines had to periodically be run to keep them operational. Over time, he built up the fuel supply in the B-24 “Brooklyn Rambler” by consuming less fuel than was being added.

On December 14, 1942, Gene and the seven others boarded the “Brooklyn Rambler” and took off, eventually landing in Cyprus. This action prompted the U.S. Ambassador to Turkey to notify the U.S. Secretary of State and recommend they not publicize what had transpired, as doing so would “seriously jeopardize (the) possibility of escape for remaining internees.”

Less than one month later, on January 11, 1943, Gene was the co-pilot aboard a B-24 piloted by fellow Omahan Louis A. Prchal. Their mission was to bomb a dock complex at Naples Harbor on the coast of Italy. A German fighter plane pulled directly behind the Prchal/Ziesel bomber and began firing at very close range. The plane became engulfed in flames and exploded before it hit the ground.

One year later, the War Department notified the Ziesel family that an investigation had determined there was no reason to believe that Gene was alive.

On January 25, 1950, a funeral service was held for 1LT Eugene L. Ziesel and his fellow lost crewmembers at the Little Rock National Cemetery in Arkansas.