World War II Honoree

Bernard R. 'Ray' Adler

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Maramec, Pawnee County, Oklahoma

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

LEFT COLLEGE TO JOIN THE MILITARY IN 1942. APPLIED, AND WAS SELECTED FOR THE AVIATION CADET PROGRAM. TRAINED IN THE AMERICAN THEATER AT SAN MARCOS ARMY AIR FIELD, TEXAS; WENDOVER FIELD, UTAH; HOUSTON, TEXAS; AND FAIRMONT ARMY AIR FIELD, NEBRASKA. SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED NAVIGATOR TRAINING AND WAS COMMISSIONED A SECOND LIEUTENANT. SERVED AS A B-24 'LIBERATOR' HEAVY BOMBER NAVIGATOR OVERSEAS IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER IN NORTH AFRICA AND ITALY DURING THE WAR. FROM DECEMBER, 1943 TO AUGUST, 1944, COMPLETED 50 COMBAT MISSIONS, INCLUDING OVER ROMANIA AND GERMANY. AWARDED SILVER NAVIGATOR WINGS, THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS, AIR MEDAL WITH 1 SILVER OAK LEAF CLUSTER, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. AUTHORIZED THE PRESIDENTIAL (DISTINGUISHED) UNIT CITATION WITH BRONZE OAK LEAF CLUSTER FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM IN ACTION BY HIS UNIT ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS. HONORABLY DISCHARGED IN 1945 WITH THE RANK OF FIRST LIEUTENANT AND ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON. REJOINED THE U.S. AIR FORCE AFTER THE WAR AND SERVED UNTIL HIS RETIREMENT WITH THE RANK OF LIEUTENANT COLONEL.