Staff Sergeant RAYMOND RAY PATE KIA 18149749

Staff Sergeant RAYMOND RAY PATE KIA 18149749, US Army Air Force. Brother of Private First Class ROBERT L. PATE, and Tec Sergeant CLYDE PATE. Son of Mrs. Mary C. Pate. He was born January 20, 1922, and attended Grand Bayou, Caspiana, and C. E. Byrd High Schools. Entering the Army Air Forces on September 3, 1942, at the age of 20. He served at Camp Beauregard, Camp Shelby, Sheppard Field, Texas, Ypsilanti, Michigan (B-24 School), Langley Field, Virginia, Westover Field, Massachusetts, and Blythe Army Air Base, California. He embarked for Italy in the European Theatre in January, 1944, and was in combat as aerial engineer in Italy and the Air Combat over the Balkans. Staff Sergeant Pate was fatally wounded in action against the enemy on May 6, 1944 at the age of 22. He served in the 459th Bomb Group 156th Bomb Squadron. He had the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the European African Middle Eastern Theater of Operations (ETO) Ribbon with bronze campaign star, and the Purple Heart Medal (PHM), awarded posthumously.

 

Source:

1- THE FIGHTING MEN OF LOUISIANA – LOUISIANA HISTORICAL INSTITUTE – 1946

2- US Headstone and Interment records for US Military.

3- http://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=8&cat=all&tf=F&q=RAYMOND+PATE&bc=sd&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=1594322&rlst=899195,987321,5044228,5681815,8570974,1245627,908301,1594322