June 4, 1942 Bernard Seitz was one of 28 volunteer solders who participated in the first Army's Air Force bomber torpedo attack. In the early stages of the Battle of Midway, four planes (B-26 Marauder) were sent to locate and fire upon a fleet of Japaneses carriers and battleships. After engagement, only two of those planes returned. One of those bombers was spotted going down, but none of the crew of the surviving planes saw what happen to Corporal Seitz's plane, where he was a tail gunner. He was the first WWII causality from Madison County and was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Service Cross and Purple heart Distinguished Service Cross for Exceptional heroism in Combat