World War II Honoree

Joseph A. Rafferty

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

RANK: CAPTAIN. HE WAS INDUCTED INTO THE UNITED STATES ARMY MARCH 25, 1942 AT NEWARK, NEW JERSEY. SERVED IN EUROPE AS COMMANDER OF A-COMPANY, 2ND COMMANDO RANGER BATTALION, NICKNAMED ‘RUDDER’S RANGERS’, 75TH RANGER REGIMENT. PARTICIPATED IN THE BATTLE OF NORMANDY, D-DAY TUESDAY, JUNE 6, 1944, THE INVASION OF GERMANY’S FORTRESS EUROPE, CODE NAME: OPERATION OVERLORD IN WHICH HE WAS KILLED. THE RANGERS LANDED ON OMAHA BEACH WITH THE FIRST WAVE, GOING ASHORE AT 06:30 HOURS WITH THE 5TH RANGER BATTALION, THE 1ST AND 29TH INFANTRY DIVISIONS. HIS BATTALION’S OBJECTIVE WAS TO SCALE THE 100-FOOT CLIFFS AT POINTE-DU-HOC, SEIZE AND DESTROY A BATTERY OF GERMAN 155MM ARTILLERY CANNONS THAT WERE AIMED AT UTAH BEACH. HE HAD MADE IT TO THE BASE OF THE CLIFFS, BUT RETURNED TO THE BEACHHEAD TO ASSIST HIS TROOPS WHEN HE WAS KILLED BY GERMAN GROUND FIRE AND WAS BURIED IN THE TEMPORARY OMAHA BEACH CEMETERY. AFTER THE CESSATION OF HOSTILITIES IN EUROPE, HIS REMAINS WERE TRANSFERRED, WITH INTERMENT IN THE NORMANDY AMERICAN CEMETERY LOCATED AT COLLEVILLE-SUR-MER, FRANCE. A MONUMENT, ERECTED BY THE CITIZENS OF FRANCE STANDS ON A CLIFF OVERLOOKING OMAHA BEACH AND WAS DEDICATED TO COMMEMORATE AND HONOR ALL MEMBERS OF THE 2ND RANGER BATTALION FOR THEIR EXTREME BRAVERY AND SACRIFICES IN THE BATTLE OF POINTE-DU-HOC. DECORATIONS AND CITATIONS: PURPLE HEART. THE CAPTAIN WAS AWARDED THE PURPLE HEART FOR HIS SUPREME SACRIFICE IN DEFENSE OF HIS COUNTRY. HIS BATTALION WAS AWARDED A PRESIDENTIAL UNIT CITATION AND THE FRENCH CROIX DE GUERRE WITH SILVER-GILT STAR FOR EXCEPTIONAL VALOR AND HEROISM IN ACTION AGAINST THE GERMAN ARMED FORCES ON OMAHA BEACH.