Almaden Resident

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Photograph by Diana Diroy

Paying Tribute: The Buecheler family watches the American flag being folded Dec. 16 during a memorial service at St. Timothy's Lutheran Church for World War II veteran John Buecheler. The family includes (from left) Buecheler's son Eric, wife, Ruth, son Kurt, daughter-in-law Lori, and grandchildren, Katherine, 4, Madeline, 6, and Stephanie, 9.

Hundreds pay tribute to John Buecheler, who crash-landed bomber in Germany

By Linda Taaffe

When John Edward Buecheler volunteered for the Army Air Corps in 1943, he enlisted for the excitement of flying--a passion that he never expected would land him in a prisoner of war camp and later earn him national recognition. Buecheler successfully crash-landed his plane and nine-member crew in safety after being shot down over Germany in 1944. He then survived 288 days in a prison camp.

Those closest to Buecheler, however, say it was his humor rather than his heroics that endeared people to him. The longtime Almaden Valley resident died Dec. 5 after a short illness. He was 85.

An estimated 200 mourners overflowed St. Timothy's Lutheran Church on Camden Avenue on Dec. 16 to pay tribute to the man who brought a smile to nearly every occasion. For the ceremony, Sen. Dianne Feinstein gave Buecheler's family the American flag flown over the White House on Dec. 10 in honor of his service to his country.

Until recently, Buecheler never shared the serious side of his experiences during the war, said his widow, Ruth. He preferred to focus on more pleasant activities, including spending time with his family and volunteering in his Almaden Valley neighborhood. He met with other ex-prisoners of war every week at the White Oaks branch of the Veterans Administration in San Jose and spent free time at the Almaden Valley Country Club, where he was a member. Even on the occasion when author and anchor Tom Brokaw dedicated the bronze and granite veterans memorial in 2004, Buecheler chose to skip the unveiling to spend time with his family at Disneyland.

"He always saw the funny side of things," said Ruth, adding that he relied on his humor to win her over when they were introduced by their parents at church. Ruth was wearing an orchid corsage she had received the previous night during a graduation formal at her high school. Buecheler, who had just returned from the service, was wearing his uniform. Ruth said she was instantly "gaga" over the handsome soldier. Any anxieties she may have had vanished after Buecheler spoke his first words to her.

"Your orchid is wilted," he told her.

"That was the beginning of a 60-year friendship," Ruth said.

The two were married four years later, in 1950.

Buecheler, who called Almaden Valley home since 1968, was a bomber pilot. He was promoted after training on gliders. On Sept. 12, 1944, on his 20th bombing mission over Hanover, Germany, his B-24 Liberator was shot up so badly that he was forced to make a crash landing behind enemy lines. He and his crew of nine were captured, and they spent the rest of the war in a German prisoner of war camp.

"We'd gone back to the same area where, the day before, we'd lost five planes out of 36. My plane was shot up, so I got a brand-new 43J [version]. The silver aluminum wasn't even painted. I only flew it once," Buecheler said during an interview with the Almaden Resident in 2004.

He spent 288 days in a prison camp near Barth, Germany, before the Russians liberated him. Buecheler said he lost 45 pounds while at the camp. The prisoners were fed a diet of cabbages, rutabagas and "bread that weighed 4 pounds. You put it on the stove to warm it, and you'd smell wood burning," he said.

Buecheler found out after being freed that he'd been promoted from first lieutenant to captain. He returned to the United States to finish college. His career with Hartford Insurance brought the couple to San Jose.

Buecheler is survived by his wife, Ruth Homeyer Buecheler, and two sons, Eric John Buecheler with his wife Denise and daughter Stephanie, and Kurt George Buecheler with his wife Lori and daughters Madeline and Katherine.