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name
VALVERDE, Ismael - Date of
birth
1924 -
Age
unknown - Place of
birth
Texas -
Hometown
Bishop, Nueces County, Texas
Personal info
Military service
- Service
number
18232163 -
Rank
Staff Sergeant -
Function
Aerial Engineer -
Unit
340th Bombardment Squadron,
97th Bombardment Group, Heavy
-
Awards
Purple Heart
Death
-
Status
Killed in Action - Date of
death
15 April 1944 - Place of
death
Near Beiul, Romania
Grave
-
Cemetery
American War Cemetery Ardennes
| Plot | Row | Grave |
|---|---|---|
| D | 10 | 28 |
Immediate family
-
Members
Guadalupe Valverde (father)
Guillerma Gonzalez Valverde (mother)
Rebecca Valverde (sister)
Abel Valverde (brother)
Samuel Valverde (brother)
Plane data
- Serial
number
42-97499 -
Data
Type: B-17G
Destination: Ploesti, Romania
MACR: 3977
More information
S/Sgt Ismael Valverde enlisted in San Antonio, Texas, on 10 December 1942.Eyewitness statement:
"While flying over Romania, we were only a few minutes past the target when one B-17 blew up. I could not see any fighters near, so I did not know the reason for it doing so. Shortly afterward, a B-17 out of the element just behind us was starting to lag and lost about a 1,000 ft in altitude, right directly below us. I saw it being attacked by one fighter. I made one pass and nothing seemed to happen. I then circled and flew along with the B-17 off to one side. It then made another pass on the B-17 and our aircraft started to smoke, and seemed a little out of control. I saw two parachutes before the aircraft got into the clouds, where I lost sight of it."
S/Sgt Ismael Valverde's body was found in the aircraft.
Source of information: www.archives.gov, www.abmc.gov, www.wwiimemorial.com, CWGC/ABMC / www.findagrave.com, www.ancestry.com - Enlistment Record / 1940 Census, www.fold3.com - MACR 3977
Photo source: www.findagrave.com, Notas de Kingsville - 25 July 1944