Kenneth Staunton Hastings was born on April 18, 1922, in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts. He was the son of Frederick Edward D. "Fred" Hastings and Marcia S. Simpson Hastings. He served in the 603rd Bomber Squadron, 398th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a First Lieutenant and Pilot of B-17 #44-8348 nicknamed ''Nutty Huzzy'' during World War II.

On November 21, 1944, Nutty Huzzy participated in a bombing mission targeting the synthetic oil facilities in Merseburg, Germany—a site heavily defended due to its strategic importance to the Nazi war effort. During the mission, the aircraft was attacked by enemy fighters and subsequently crashed near Mosbach, close to Eisenach, Germany. Of the ten crew members aboard, only the pilot was killed in action, while the remaining nine crew members were captured and became prisoners of war.

1Lt Hastings is now buried in the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Margraten, Eijsden-Margraten Municipality, Limburg, Netherlands. Kenneth S. Hastings' name is inscribed on the Anstey Window Memorial in Panel 1 (left), on Butterfly 2, in the top left wing (section A).

Source of information:www.americanairmuseum.com, b17flyingfortress.de, www.398th.org