Included on the War Department's List of Santa Cruz County casualties is the name of Norman A. Ruddock. Information regarding Ruddock's Santa Cruz connection has not been confirmed.

When Norman Ruddock registered for the draft in 1943, he noted that he was born in California in 1924 and was a resident of Santa Cruz County. He also noted that he had completed three years of high school, was single and worked as an auto mechanic.

Ruddock was inducted into the US Army in San Francisco on January 23, 1943, and assigned to the Army Air Force. Following training he was posted to the 5th US Air Force 90th Bomb Group, 319th Squadron, nicknamed the Jolly Roger. His unit flew B-24 Liberator bombers out of Sydney Australia on strikes upon New Guinea and other Japanese military installations in the South Pacific.

In January 1945, Ruddock's B-24 was flying from bases on Mindoro Island in the Philippine Islands and attacking Japanese installations on Luzon. During a mission on February 18, 1945, Technical Sergeant Norman A. Ruddock was killed in action. His remains were recovered and following the war, were reinterred in the Keokuk National Cemetery in Keokuk, Iowa.

(Note: In 1944 Ruddock listed his address as Route 1, Box 42D Florin, California in his unit personnel records.)
(NARA2; USDVA; 5th AF 90th BG, Jolly Roger Details, 2008, http://www.jollyrogersweb.com/resultDetail.asp?jrID=104, [16 September 2008]); Kensman.com 5th AF, Unit History, http://www. kensmen.com/chronology.html, [16 September 2008])