S/Sgt. John Veenschoten trained as a radio operator, graduating from the school at Sioux Falls, South Dakota and then gunnery school at Las Vegas. Later he was assigned to a B-17s at McDill field and trained with them. John was sent ahead to England via ship and his crew was to fly over later to meet him at Nuthampstead. However, the pilot took ill and John started flying missions with other crews. After two missions, he was assigned to the Howard W. Rehme crew. John said "there were two of us with the same training" and as he recalls a coin was flipped and John became the waist gunner. John flew most of his missions at the waist position, but did fly five as tail gunner, one in the ball turret (not his favorite), and one as toggelier. The diary begins with his first combat mission.

1. Mission 1: July 24,1944 - St. Lo, France
2. Mission 2: July 25,1944 - St. Lo, France
3. Mission 3: August 8,1944 - Cauvicourt, France
4. Mission 4: August 12,1944 - Versailles, France
5. Mission 5: August 24, 1944 - Kolleda, Germany
6. Mission 6: August 25, 1944 - Neubrandenburg, Germany
7. Mission 7: August 26, 1944 - Gelsenkirchen, Germany
8. Mission 8: September 3, 1944 - Ludwigshaven, Germany
9. Mission 9: September 8, 1944 - Ludwigshaven, Germany
10. Mission 10: September 9, 1944 - Mannheim, Germany
11. Mission 11: September 13, 1944 - Lutzkendorf, Germany
12. Mission 12: September 19, 1944 - Hamm, Germany
13. Mission 13: September 27, 1944 - Cologne, Germany
14. Mission 14: September 30, 1944 - Munster, Germany
15. Mission 15: October 2, 1944 - Kassel, Germany
16. Mission 16: October 3, 1944 - Nurnberg, Germany
17. Mission 17: October 6, 1944 - Neubrandenburg, Germany
18. Mission 18: October 17, 1944 - Cologne, Germany
19. Mission 19: October 22, 1944 - Brunswick, Germany
20. Mission 20: November 9, 1944 - Metz, France
21. Mission 21: November 26, 1944 - Misburg, Germany
22. Mission 22: December 9, 1944 - Stuttgart, Germany
23. Mission 23: December 11, 1944 - Frankfurt, Germany
24. Mission 24: December 18, 1944 - Cologne, Germany
25. Mission 25: February 14, 1945 - Prague, Czech
26. Mission 26: February 21, 1945 - Nurnburg, Germany
27. Mission 27: February 23, 1945 - Eger, Czech
28. Mission 28: February 27, 1945 - Leipzig, Germany
29. Mission 29: February 28, 1945 - Schwerte, Germany
30. Mission 30: March 1, 1945 - Neckarsulm, Germany
31. S/Sgt. John Veenschoten's Diary History