Bruce Henry Ek
Second Lieutenant Bruce H. Ek was a Marine Corps pilot who flew with VMSB-241.
He was shot down and reported missing in the battle of Midway on 4 June 1942.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number O-7534
Current Status
Remains not recovered.
Pursuit Category
Based on circumstances of loss, this individual is considered permanently non-recoverable.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
April 28, 1919
Spokane, WA
Parents
Fritz Oscar “F. O.” Ek
Nellie Johansdotter (Stenquist) Ek
Education
North Central High School (1936)
Modesto Junior College (1938)
Gonzaga University
Occupation & Employer
Service station
self-employed with brother, Lloyd
Service Life
Entered Service
April 11, 1941 (enlisted)
October 17, 1941 (officer)
Home Of Record
2627 East 3rd Avenue
Spokane, WA
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Nellie Ek
Military Specialty
Pilot
Assistant Personnel Officer
Primary Unit
VMSB-241
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
Second Lieutenant Bruce Ek was a Marine pilot with VMSB-241, a scout-bomber squadron based at Midway Island in 1942. He was part of the First Section, Second Division, and usually flew with an “old salt” PFC Raymond R. Brown as his radioman and gunner.
At 0610 hours on 4 June 1942, VMSB-241 took off from Midway and rendezvoused at “Point Affirm” – a safe distance from the airfield, out of the way of an incoming Japanese strike force. A radio message sent them on course to attack an enemy carrier; a two-hour flight brought them within sight of the IJN Hiryū. The carrier sent up a wall of flak, and her fighters quickly climbed to engage the unescorted American bombers.
In the chaos and violence of the attack, Ek’s Dauntless (SBD-2 #2184) fell victim to a Japanese fighter or anti-aircraft gunner. No eyewitness accounts report seeing Ek and Brown fall, but they did not return from the Hiryū strike. Both Marines were officially declared dead on 5 June 1943.
Burial Information or Disposition
Shot down at sea; remains not recovered.
Next Of Kin Address
Address of mother, Mrs. Nellie Ek.
Location Of Loss
Ek was shot down at an unspecified point after departing from Midway.
