Sergeant John Francis Bartek, An Airman's Story
.png "Sergeant John Francis Bartek – WWII Airman and Pacific Survivor")
Sergeant John Francis Bartek, An Airman's Story
Sergeant John Francis Bartek was born on August 30, 1920, in Bayonne, New Jersey, and came of age during one of the most turbulent decades in American history.
Like many young men of his generation, he answered the call to serve as global war spread across Europe and the Pacific. Still in his teens, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Forces and was assigned to duty in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
In October 1942, Sergeant Bartek became part of one of the most extraordinary survival stories of the war. Traveling aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress, he and seven others—including Captain Eddie Rickenbacker, America’s famed World War I flying ace—crashed into the Pacific Ocean after their aircraft became lost.
What followed was 21 harrowing days adrift at sea.
The men battled dehydration, starvation, blistering sun, and the psychological weight of uncertainty. They rationed rainwater when they could collect it. They endured relentless exposure. They refused to surrender hope. Against overwhelming odds, they survived.
The experience marked Sergeant Bartek for life. He later documented the ordeal in his account, My Raft Episode: 21 Days at Sea, and spent years sharing his testimony through lectures, ensuring that the endurance and quiet heroism of that raft would not be forgotten.
After the war, Sergeant Bartek continued to serve his state in a different capacity. He attended photography school and went on to build a distinguished career as a photographer for the New Jersey State Police, a position he held until his retirement in 1985.
He was known for his love of dancing and big band music, a reminder that even amid great hardship, people still find joy. He also developed a passion for flower photography, capturing beauty with the same steady eye that once scanned the Pacific horizon for rescue.
Sergeant John Francis Bartek died on September 9, 2013. He is buried at Greenwood Cemetery in Hamilton, New Jersey.
His words remain simple and steady: “You just do what you think is right.”
And sometimes, what is right is holding on, one day at a time, until rescue comes.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
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