A simple online encounter evolved into a Troy resident learning about her father’s heroic World War II story and eventually meeting the family that helped save his life. Laura Beeler has been a resident of Troy for 25 years and this past summer she began to discover new history about her World War II hero father, Lt. John R. Lion.
Lion served in the U.S. Army Aircorp, enlisting at the age of 21 following America’s entry into World War II. Lion, a native of California, was a fighter pilot and member of the Quiet Birdmen, a secretive club formed in the U.S. for elite male aviators founded by World War I pilots. Lion flew a total of 38 missions during World War II in both Africa and Italy.
