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name
CAY, Raymond Lee Jr - Date of
birth
14 October 1920 -
Age
23 - Place of
birth
Collidge, Thomas County, Georgia -
Hometown
Tampa, Hillsborough County, Florida
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
14083082 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Ball Turret Gunner -
Unit
735th Bombardment Squadron,
453rd Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart,
Air Medal
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
8 April 1944 - Place of
death
Salzwedel, 10 miles east of Henningen, Germany
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| A | 11 | 6 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Raymond L. Cay (father)
Nannie L. (Wilson) Cay (mother)
Hollis D. Talkington (stepfather)
John M. Cay (brother)
Oleta Cay (sister)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-64453 -
Data
Type: B-24H
Destination: Brunswick, Germany
Mission: Bombing of the MIAG aviation industry
MACR: 3922
More information
S/Sgt Raymond Cay attended Tampa schools and worked for the Peninsular Telephone Company.He volunteered for the Air Corps of the Army of the United States at Camp Blanding, Florida on 27 August 1942.
He attended gunnery school at Panama City.
The airplane was attacked by enemy aircraft. The tail split off, close to the wing and the plane began to spin.
One crew member survived and was taken prisoner. The other nine crew members were killed and were initially buried at the cemetery of Henningen. After the war, when a grave registration unit tried to recover the remains at this cemetery, of those nine, the remains of two men were never found.
Source of information: Raf Dyckmans, www.wwiimemorial.com, www.ancestry.com - 1930 Census, www.fold3.com - MACR, WWII Draft Card, www.8thafhs.com, www.archives.gov - WWII Enlistment Record
Photo source: Peter Schouteten, www.newspapers.com - The Tampa Times