World War II Honoree

Raymond R. Oeftiger

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

New York City, New York

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Captain. Inducted into the United States Army July 7, 1941 at New York City, New York. Upon his graduation from recruit training, he was designated to attend the Flight Aviation Training Program. As a graduate of the Aviation Cadet program, he accepted his commission with the rank of Second Lieutenant and Navigator Wings. He served as a B-17 ‘Flying-Fortress’ Bomber Navigator, assigned to the 814th Bomber Squadron, 482nd Bomber ‘Pathfinders’ Group, First Bomber Division, an element of the U.S. 8th Air Force ‘Mighty Eighth’ Army Air Forces. His unit was based at the Alconbury Royal Air Force Station Location: Huntingdon, England. Tuesday, September 14, 1943 he died in a non-battle training accident, when the pilot and crew departed Alconbury with four passengers on a flight to Turnhouse, Scotland. Due to cloud cover and poor visibility conditions, the Pilot was instrument flying, when the Bomber crashed into Skiddaw Mountain, near Keswick, United Kingdom. Personnel from a Graves Registration Company buried him in the Brookwood American Cemetery Brookwood, England. In the post-war era, this Airman’s family requested that he be buried with Military Honors at the Cambridge American Cemetery Location: Cambridge, England. This American Patriot was awarded the Air Medal posthumously, for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.