{"id":3072,"date":"2023-06-28T04:38:23","date_gmt":"2023-06-28T04:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/?p=3072"},"modified":"2024-03-26T17:36:32","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T17:36:32","slug":"fox-raymond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/fox-raymond\/","title":{"rendered":"Fox, Raymond"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

TSgt. Raymond F. Fox (1920-September 19, 1944)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

860th<\/sup> Bombardment Squadron, 493rd<\/sup> Bombardment Group<\/p>\n\n\n\n

by Luci Meier<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Early Life<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raymond Fox was born in 1920 to Jessie and Frank Fox in Callaway, FL.1<\/sup><\/a> Jessie grew up in Alabama while Frank lived in Madison County, FL near the border of Georgia. Both Frank and Jessie came from large families with many siblings who helped their fathers with farm work. Frank Fox had a total of eight siblings whereas Jessie Fox had five siblings.2<\/sup><\/a> Frank served overseas in World War I from August 1918 to June 1919.3<\/sup><\/a> After his service and during the 1920s, Frank moved from Madison County to Callaway, FL, a suburb of Panama City, on the coast of the panhandle.4<\/sup><\/a> Frank also transitioned from his driving job in 1920 to fishing as Florida\u2019s fishing industry proved valuable for the state economy during the early twentieth century and remained relatively strong during the Great Depression and after World War II.5<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

After Raymond\u2019s birth, Frank and Jessie welcomed three more children: Frank Jr. (1923), James (1925), and nearly a decade later, Helen (1934).6<\/sup><\/a> The Fox brothers each completed four years of high school, throughout their time at school they also worked alongside their father as fishermen and then oystermen, with Frank Jr. choosing to take after his father by building a career out of the fishing industry.7<\/sup><\/a> As of 1950, Helen also earned her high school diploma.8<\/sup><\/a> Possibly because of the economic hardships of the Great Depression, the Fox family seemed to manage by staying together. Both adult sons, Raymond and James, remained at home and worked before enlisting, supporting the family with their respective incomes.9<\/sup><\/a> Even at the height of the Depression, Florida\u2019s commercial fishing industry employed thousands of people . By 1947, Florida\u2019s fishing industry held a higher cash value than most agricultural products, behind only citrus and vegetables.10<\/sup><\/a>  In 1942, both of Raymond\u2019s brothers, Frank Jr. and James Fox found employment at Wainwright Shipyard in Panama City. This shipyard primarily built cargo ships for the military, and during World War II it constructed over 100 ships until it shut down in 1945.11<\/sup><\/a>  The shipyard eventually became a shipbreaking and salvaging site in the 1960s and 1970s.12<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Military Service<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At twenty years old, Raymond Fox enlisted in the US Army on November 25, 1940, before the US entered the war. He began his military career in the National Guard Corps of Engineers.13<\/sup><\/a> He served in Florida in the 124th<\/sup> Infantry, known as the \u201cGators\u201d, Company D. Later on, the federal government absorbed national guard units as the US prepared for war. Raymond found himself placed into the 106th<\/sup> Engineers, 2nd<\/sup> Battalion, Company D.14<\/sup><\/a> At some point, possibly in the fall of 1943, Raymond Fox either volunteered or the Army transferred him to the the 8th<\/sup> Air Force, 493rd<\/sup> Bombardment Group, 860th<\/sup> Bombardment Squadron, potentially because of his engineering competencies.15<\/sup><\/a> The 493rd<\/sup> formed the last group in the 8th<\/sup> Air Force to become operational.16<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In early 1944, Fox joined a crew that flew a B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft. Fox, given his background in the National Guard, served as the flight engineer and top turret gunner for Crew 17.17<\/sup><\/a> He played a crucial role in the operation of the aircraft as well as the survival of the crew. The flight engineer had to know all the ins and outs of the mechanical operations to aid the pilot, should an issue arise. Fox also trained as a gunner, as he sat in the only position capable of defending the plane against an attack from above.18<\/sup><\/a> The rest of Crew 17 included pilot Jacob Laderman, co-pilot Walter Beriont, navigator Albert Wick, bombardier John Muzii, radio operator John Robbin, ball turret gunner James Cathcart, waist gunner Odell Bascom, nose gunner Edward Leber, and tail gunner Clarence Smith.19<\/sup><\/a> Later in life, Smith remembered them all fondly, calling them a veritable \u201cLeague of Nations,\u201d because of their varied heritage, including men of Jewish, French, German, Italian, English, Scottish, and Native American descent.20<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe Fighting 493rd<\/sup>\u201d relocated from McCook Army Air Base, Nebraska to Debach Airfield in Suffolk, England in April 1944.21<\/sup><\/a> During their time at McCook Army Air Base, the soldiers ran a base newspaper, the Air-Snoop<\/em>, offering sections ranging from \u201cLaff O\u2019 The Week,\u201d \u201cMeet the Major,\u201d news from the soldier\u2019s hometowns. One cartoon, pictured here, reads \u201cLet\u2019s stay awake on this close formation, Bud!\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
Comic from the Air-Snoop, April 1, 1944.<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

The Air-Snoop<\/em> also advertised movie nights and local events on base.22<\/sup><\/a>  The same relatively relaxed life at McCook mirrored the soldier\u2019s experiences at Debach with dance parties, a snack bar, weekly ping-pong tournaments, bingo games.23<\/sup><\/a> Given the dangers the men faced on each bombing mission, they took days off, away from the base, to explore England, many choosing to go to the local pubs.24<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raymond Fox\u2019s first bombing mission occurred on D-Day, June 6, 1944. On this day, Raymond also received a promotion from Staff Sergeant to Technical Sergeant, the highest rank he achieved during his service.25<\/sup><\/a> His crew took part in the carpet-bombing operations along the shores of Normandy to support the Allied ground troops as part of the massive land invasion of France.26<\/sup><\/a> After Normandy, the 8th<\/sup> Air Force\u2019s goal centered on targeting, weakening, and ultimately destroying the military-industrial complex of Germany through sustained bombing which sought to break Germany\u2019s morale and industry to sustain the war.27<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 493rd<\/sup> Bombardment Group focused on weakening the German forces by destroying military infrastructure and preventing them from recovering and mounting counter attacks. In Clarence\u2019s words, the Army Air Forces\u2019 missions targeted anything from \u201cbridges, airfields, trade stations to oil fields, whatever [Command] decided needed to be wiped out.\u201d28<\/sup><\/a> The destruction of German industrial centers, the Allied leadership reasoned, would prevent the Nazis from carrying on with the war.29<\/sup><\/a> The men faced grave danger with each mission. On their seventh mission, Clarence Elbridge Smith elaborated that, \u201cthe nose-gunner got hit in the head with a piece of Anti-Aircraft flak and was blinded.\u201d30<\/sup><\/a> To help calm their nerves, and to build a sense of camaraderie, the flight surgeon provided the crew with a shot of whiskey after every bombing mission.31<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raymond Fox and his crew flew seventeen successful missions, managing to make it back to base despite all the dangers they faced.  Their eighteenth mission on September 19, 1944, however, became their last.32<\/sup><\/a> The weather worked against the 493rd<\/sup> on this mission, preventing the crew from reaching their primary target. Instead, they picked a target of opportunity: the Marshalling Yards at Darmstadt, Germany.33<\/sup><\/a> On their trip back to base, German anti-aircraft installments targeted the bomber. Hit by flak, \u201cnumber 3 engine evidently exploded and the plane flipped over, whereupon the right wing broke off. As the aircraft plunged to the ground, it burst into flames and exploded, breaking up into five or six sections.\u201d34<\/sup><\/a> Fox and nearly everyone onboard died, although they remained listed as missing in action (MIA) until January 1945. The only survivor, tail gunner Clarence Smith, became a prisoner of war (POW) after members of a small German community found him and, as he remembered, they \u201cput me into an abandoned building where someone gave me a piece of cornbread or cake but I couldn\u2019t eat, my jaw was cracked.\u201d35<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legacy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Debach Airfield, located north of Ipswich, served as the main airbase of the 493rd, and later served as a camp for German prisoners of war and displaced persons during World War II. By 1948, the air base lay abandoned. Throughout the twentieth century, the airfield served as a source of scrap and parts for construction projects, such as the runways being repurposed for road construction. Seeing the airfield essentially be torn apart for construction materials, the local community surrounding Debach Airfield started restoration projects in the early 2000s, which continues into the present. The restored parts of the airfield currently house the 493rd<\/sup> Bomb Group Museum, offering visitors the opportunity to learn more about World War II and the 493rd<\/sup>.36<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 493rd<\/sup> Bombardment Group flew a total of 157 bombing missions with over 12,000 tons of bombs dropped over Europe.37]<\/sup><\/a>Towards the end of the war, from April 29, 1945 through to the end of the war, the 493rd<\/sup> also flew six food missions as part of Operation Manna-Chowhound, \u201cdropping over 400 tonnes of food into newly-liberated parts of Europe,\u201d mostly to people struggling in the Netherlands.38<\/sup><\/a> While Raymond passed away before this operation, it highlights how important the Air Force had become to the war effort.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/a>
493rd Bombardment Group (H) Plaque<\/sup><\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

 Raymond\u2019s family must have learned, from the Army, that he was MIA, but would not have been informed of his death until the Army Air Force changed his status from missing to killed in Action in January 1945. News reports of Raymond Fox\u2019s death appeared in the local press in March 1945, six months after his death. The Miami News<\/em> and the Tampa Tribune<\/em> both named him in their lists of servicemen from Florida killed in Europe.39<\/sup><\/a> For his service, Raymond Fox received an Air medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, one for every five missions flown, and a Purple Heart.40<\/sup><\/a> His name appears on the Nassau County War Memorial in north Florida, as well as on the 493rd<\/sup> Bomb Group Honor Roll in St. Mary the Virgin Church in Clopton, England, near Debach Airfield. 41<\/sup><\/a>  His unit also appears on a plaque, pictured here, outside of Debach Airfield which commemorates those who died in the last years of World War II.42<\/sup><\/a>  Technical Sgt. Fox is buried in the Lorraine American Cemetery in St. Avold, France.43<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

 Like Raymond, James also served in the US Army during World War II. He enlisted in 1943 at Camp Blanding, a few months after turning eighteen.44<\/sup><\/a> During the War, James sustained two injuries, one in October of 1944, another two months after his first injury.45<\/sup><\/a> Despite these injuries, James returned home having earned a Bronze Star and a Purple Heart with three Oak Leaf Clusters. A few years after Raymond Fox\u2019s unfortunate passing, one of his siblings, likely Frank Jr., named their newborn son after their beloved brother: Raymond Franklin Fox.46<\/sup><\/a> Most of his family remained in the same area where they grew up and were subsequently buried in their hometown\u2019s cemetery many years later.47<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Clarence Smith, the only survivor of Crew 17, remembered the men he flew with for the rest of his life. Shortly before his death in 2012, Smith said of Crew 17\u2014\u201cI know every one of them and where they came from.\u201d48<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

1<\/sup><\/a> \u201c1930 U.S. Census,\u201d database, Ancestry.com<\/em> (http:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 3, 2022), entry for Raymond F. Fox, Callaway, Bay County, Florida; \u201cU.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946,\u201d database, Ancestry.com<\/em> (http:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 3, 2022), entry for Raymond F. Fox, service number 20428159. His birth year is estimated based on his age at the time of the census.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2<\/sup><\/a> \u201c1900 U.S. Census,\u201d database, Ancestry.com<\/em> (http:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 3, 2022), entry for Frank Fox, Madison, Madison County, Florida; \u201c1910 U.S. Census,\u201d database, Ancestry.com  <\/em>(http:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 3, 2022), entry for Jesse Harrelson, Watkins, Covington County, Alabama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3<\/sup><\/a> \u201cU.S., WWI Draft Registration Card,\u201d database, Ancestry.com<\/em> (www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed December 6, 2022), entry for Frank Fox, serial number 1354995;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4<\/sup><\/a> \u201c1920 U.S. Census,\u201d database, Ancestry.com<\/em> (www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed April 19, 2023), entry for Frank Fox, Madison County, Florida; \u201c1930 U.S. Census.\u201d; \u201cU.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946,\u201d entry for Raymond F. Fox. On the 1920 census, Frank Fox is listed as living in Madison county. Frank is then listed in the 1930 census as living in Callaway, Bay County, FL. Raymond was nine years old at the time of the 1930 census, and his enlistment record only lists his birth as \u201cFlorida\u201d but his residence is listed as \u201cBay County\u201d. We have not been able to pinpoint the date of Frank\u2019s move from Madison to Callaway, however the move occurred at some point in the 1920\u2019s.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5<\/sup><\/a> George Vathis, The Commercial Fishing Industry in Florida<\/em> (Tallahassee, FL: State Board of Conservation, 1949), 2-3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6<\/sup><\/a> \u201c1940 U.S. Census,\u201d database, Ancestry.com<\/em> (http:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 3, 2022), entry for Raymond F. Fox, Bay County, Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7<\/sup><\/a> \u201cEnlistment Records,\u201d Raymond F. Fox; \u201c1940 U.S. Census,\u201d entry for Raymond, Frank Jr., and James Fox. Frank Jr. is the only son who listed \u201cFisherman\u201d as his occupation. Raymond, Frank Jr., and James are listed as having completed, in 1940, four, three, and two years of highschool respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8<\/sup><\/a> \u201c1950 U.S. Census,\u201d database, Ancestry.com <\/em>(www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed March 29, 2023), entry for Helen Fox, Bay County, Florida.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9<\/sup><\/a> \u201c1940 U.S. Census.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10<\/sup><\/a> Vathis, The Commercial Fishing Industry<\/em>, 2-3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11<\/sup><\/a> Dr. Glenda Walters, \u201cWainwright Shipyard,\u201d Panama City Living<\/em>, May 4, 2016, https:\/\/panamacityliving.com\/wainwright-shipyard\/<\/a>; \u201cU.S., WWII Draft Registration Card,\u201d database, Ancestry.com<\/em> (www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed December 6, 2022), entry for Frank Frederick Fox, serial number 299; \u201cU.S., WWII Draft Registration Card,\u201d database, Ancestry.com<\/em> (www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed December 6, 2022), entry for James Vernon Fox, serial number 131.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12<\/sup><\/a> Walters, \u201cWainwright Shipyard.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13<\/sup><\/a> \u201cEnlistment Records\u201d; For more information on the 124th<\/sup>, \u201cGators\u201d, see Robert A. Lobdell et. al., 124th <\/sup>Infantry: Gators at Fort Benning, 1943<\/em> (Fort Benning, GA: Florida National Guard, 1943).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

14<\/sup><\/a> \u201cFlorida National Guard Mobilization and Fatal Casualty Lists, 1940-1945,\u201d database, UF Digital Collections<\/em> (accessed December 6, 2022), https:\/\/ufdc.ufl.edu\/UF00047709\/00001\/images\/55<\/a>; \u201cRoster of Florida National Guard Officers, Warrant Officers and Enlisted Men Inducted into Federal Service, 1940-1941,\u201d database, UF Digital Collections <\/em>(accessed December 6, 2022), https:\/\/ufdcimages.uflib.ufl.edu\/UF\/00\/04\/77\/09\/00001\/UF00047709.pdf<\/a>. Thank you to Rich Gause for his help in finding this information;<\/p>\n\n\n\n

15<\/sup><\/a> \u201cRaymond F. Fox,\u201d American Air Museum<\/em>, accessed December 6, 2022, https:\/\/www.americanairmuseum.com\/archive\/person\/raymond-f-fox<\/a>; Maurer Maurer, ed., Combat Squadrons of the Air Force WWII<\/em> (Montgomery, AL: Air Force Historical Research Agency, 1982), 785. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

16<\/sup><\/a> History of the 493rd Bombardment Group (H)(AE) Army Airfield, McCook, Nebraska, April 1944<\/em>, database, Fold3.com<\/em> (www.fold3.com<\/a>: accessed November 3, 2022), Special Orders 62, April 10, 1944, 3, pg. 94 of the collection located at https:\/\/www.fold3.com\/image\/705537427\/705537427<\/a>; Clarence Elbridge Smith, interviewed by Larry Conway for the Library of Congress\u2019 Veterans History Project, Phoenix, Arizona March 11, 2011, https:\/\/www.loc.gov\/item\/afc2001001.77314\/<\/a>. Clarence Smith passed away one year after the recording of this interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

17<\/sup><\/a> History of the 493rd Bombardment Group (H)(AE) Army Airfield<\/em>, Special Orders 62, April 10, 1944, pg. 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

18<\/sup><\/a> Troy Lyman, \u201cFlight Engineer,\u201d B-17 Flying Fortress Queen of the Skies<\/em>, accessed November 3, 2022, http:\/\/www.b17queenofthesky.com\/flteng.htm<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

19<\/sup><\/a> \u201c43-38209: B-17 Flying Fortress,\u201d American Air Museum<\/em>, last modified September 27, 2014, https:\/\/www.americanairmuseum.com\/aircraft\/12214<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

20<\/sup><\/a> Clarence Elbridge Smith Interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

21<\/sup><\/a> United States Army Air Forces, 493rd Bombardment Group: A Pictorial Review of Operations in the ETO<\/em>, (World War Regimental Histories, 1945), http:\/\/digicom.bpl.lib.me.us\/ww_reg_his\/118<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

22<\/sup><\/a> History of the 493rd Bombardment Group (H)(AE) Army Airfield, McCook<\/em>, \u201cThe Air-Snoop\u201d, vol. 1, no. 5, April 1, 1944, page 105 of the collection located at https:\/\/www.fold3.com\/image\/705537531.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

23<\/sup><\/a> History of the 493rd Bombardment Group (H) 1 June to 30 June 1944<\/em>, database, Fold3.com<\/em> (www.fold3.com<\/a>: accessed March 29, 2023), Historical Report of the American Red Cross to Lt. Col. Helton, June 1944, pg. 111 of the collection located at https:\/\/www.fold3.com\/image\/705537827; History of the 493rd Bombardment Group, August 1944<\/em>, database, Fold3.com <\/em>(www.fold3.com<\/a>: accessed March 29, 2023), American Red Cross letter to Lt. Clifford Love, August 31, 1944, pg. 206 of the collection at https:\/\/www.fold3.com\/image\/705532304.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

24<\/sup><\/a> History of the 493rd Bombardment Group (H) 1 June to 30 June 1944<\/em>, \u201cStation Life\u201d, pg. 6 of the collection at https:\/\/www.fold3.com\/image\/705537722.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

25<\/sup><\/a> History of the 493rd Bombardment Group (H) 1 June to 30 June 1944<\/em>, Special Orders no. 34, pg. 138 of the collection at https:\/\/www.fold3.com\/image\/705537854.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

26<\/sup><\/a> Clarence Elbridge Smith interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

27<\/sup><\/a> Center for Air Force History, Sunday Punch in Normandy: The Tactical Use of Heavy Bombardment in the Normandy Invasion<\/em> (Headquarters, Army Air Forces, 1993), 4.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

28<\/sup><\/a> Edward T. Russell, Leaping the Atlantic Wall: Army Air Forces Campaigns in Western Europe, 1942-1945<\/em> (Air Force History and Museums Program, 1999), 1; Clarence Elbridge Smith Interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

29<\/sup><\/a> Kenneth P. Werrell, \u201cFriendly Rivals: The Eighth and Fifteenth Air Forces in World War II,\u201d Air Power History<\/em> 38, no. 2 (1991): 36.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

30<\/sup><\/a> Clarence Elbridge Smith Interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

31<\/sup><\/a> Clarence Elbridge Smith Interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

32<\/sup><\/a> \u201cMissing Air Crew Report.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

33<\/sup><\/a> History for September of the 493rd Bombardment Group<\/em>, database, Fold3.com<\/em> (www.fold3.com<\/a>: accessed March 29, 2023), Report of Operations, September 21, 1944, 63, page 75 of the collection located at https:\/\/www.fold3.com\/image\/705533503.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

34<\/sup><\/a> History for September<\/em>, Report of Operations, September 21, 1944, 65, page 77 of the collection located at https:\/\/www.fold3.com\/image\/705533513.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

35<\/sup><\/a> \u201cMissing Air Crew Reports.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

36<\/sup><\/a> \u201cDebach Airfield History,\u201d 493rd Bomb Group Museum,<\/em> accessed January 25, 2023, https:\/\/www.493bgdebach.co.uk\/airfield_history<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

37<\/sup><\/a> Jenny Ashcraft, \u201cUnit History of the 493rd Bomb Group,\u201d Fold3 Blog<\/em>, accessed March 29, 2023, https:\/\/blog.fold3.com\/unit-history-of-the-493rd-bomb-group\/.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

38<\/sup><\/a> Jeremy Collins, \u201cOperation Manna-Chowhound: Deliverance from Above,\u201d National WWII Museum<\/em>, May 6th, 2020, accessed January 25, 2023, https:\/\/www.nationalww2museum.org\/war\/articles\/operation-manna-chowhound<\/a>; \u201c493rd Bomb Group,\u201d American Air Museum in Britai<\/em>n, accessed January 25, 2023, https:\/\/www.americanairmuseum.com\/archive\/unit\/493rd-bomb-group.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

39<\/sup><\/a> \u201cFlorida Casualties,\u201d The Tampa Tribune<\/em> (Tampa, Florida), March 2, 1945, Newspapers.com; \u201cPvt. S. H. Albury Reported Killed,\u201d The Miami News<\/em> (Miami, Florida), March 3, 1945, Newspapers.com.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

40<\/sup><\/a> \u201cRaymond F. Fox,\u201d American Battle Monuments Commission<\/em>, accessed November 3, 2022, https:\/\/www.abmc.gov\/decedent-search\/fox%3Draymond-1<\/a>. The air medal counted for the first five combat missions, and each oak leaf cluster for another five missions after the air medal had been awarded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

41<\/sup><\/a> \u201cTSgt Raymond F Fox,\u201d Find a Grave<\/em>, accessed November 3, 2022, https:\/\/www.findagrave.com\/memorial\/56655134\/raymond-f-fox<\/a>; \u201c493rd Bombardment Group Honor Roll,\u201d American War Memorials Overseas<\/em>, accessed November 3, 2022, https:\/\/www.uswarmemorials.org\/html\/monument_details.php?SiteID=2187&MemID=2867<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

42<\/sup><\/a> \u201c493rd Bomb Group (H) Plaque,\u201d American War Memorials Overseas<\/em>, accessed April 23, 2023, https:\/\/www.uswarmemorials.org\/html\/monument_details.php?SiteID=1813&MemID=2384<\/a>. Thank you to the American War Memorials Overseas Inc., for allowing us to reproduce their photograph in Fox\u2019s biography.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

43<\/sup><\/a> \u201cHeadstone Inscription and Internment Records,\u201d database, Ancestry.com<\/em> (http:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 3, 2022), entry for Raymond F Fox, service number 20428159; \u201cLorraine American Cemetery,\u201d American Battle Monuments Commission<\/em>, accessed November 3, 2022, https:\/\/www.abmc.gov\/Lorraine<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

44<\/sup><\/a> \u201cU.S., World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946,\u201d database, Ancestry.com<\/em> (http:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 3, 2022), entry for James V. Fox, service number 34784131.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

45<\/sup><\/a> \u201cU.S. World War II Hospital Admission Card Files,\u201d database, Ancestry.com<\/em> (www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed March 29, 2023), entry for James V. Fox for November and December 1944.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

46<\/sup><\/a> \u201c1950 U.S. Census,\u201d database, Ancestry.com<\/em> (http:\/\/www.ancestry.com<\/a>: accessed November 3, 2022), entry for Raymond Franklin Fox, Bay County, Florida. The 1950 Census lists both James and Frank Jr. as living back home with their parents, with Raymond Franklin Fox Jr. only listed as \u201cGrandson.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

47<\/sup><\/a> \u201cPFC James Vernon Fox,\u201d FindaGrave.com<\/em>, accessed March 29, 2023, https:\/\/www.findagrave.com\/memorial\/28424274\/james-vernon-fox<\/a>; \u201cHelen Evelyn Fox Ray,\u201d FindaGrave.com<\/em>, accessed March 29, 2023, https:\/\/www.findagrave.com\/memorial\/63439053\/helen-evelyn-ray<\/a>; \u201cFrank Fredrick Fox,\u201d FindaGrave.com<\/em>, accessed March 29, 2023, https:\/\/www.findagrave.com\/memorial\/28419428\/frank-fredrick-fox<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

48<\/sup><\/a> Clarence Elbridge Smith Interview.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TSgt. Raymond F. Fox (1920-September 19, 1944) 860th Bombardment Squadron, 493rd Bombardment Group by Luci Meier Early Life Raymond Fox was born in 1920 to Jessie and Frank Fox in Callaway, FL.1 Jessie grew up in Alabama while Frank lived in Madison County, FL near the border of Georgia. Both Frank and Jessie came from…","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":3105,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"template-narrow.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,19],"tags":[433,434,435,116,31,24],"veteran_name":[436],"veteran_rank":[121],"biography_author":[437],"army_branch":[270],"unit":[438],"division":[400],"award":[362],"hometown":[398],"cemetery":[401],"class_list":["post-3072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lorraine_american_cemetery","category-world_war_2","tag-493rd-bombardment-group","tag-860th-bombardment-squadron","tag-8th-air-force","tag-air-medal","tag-oak-leaf-cluster","tag-panama-city","veteran_name-fox-raymond","veteran_rank-technical-sergeant","biography_author-luci-meier","army_branch-bombardment-squadron","unit-493rd-bombardment-group","division-8th-air-division","award-air-medal","hometown-panama-city","cemetery-lorraine"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3072"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3072\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3411,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3072\/revisions\/3411"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3105"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3072"},{"taxonomy":"veteran_name","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/veteran_name?post=3072"},{"taxonomy":"veteran_rank","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/veteran_rank?post=3072"},{"taxonomy":"biography_author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/biography_author?post=3072"},{"taxonomy":"army_branch","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/army_branch?post=3072"},{"taxonomy":"unit","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/unit?post=3072"},{"taxonomy":"division","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/division?post=3072"},{"taxonomy":"award","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/award?post=3072"},{"taxonomy":"hometown","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hometown?post=3072"},{"taxonomy":"cemetery","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.cah.ucf.edu\/fl-francesoldierstories\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cemetery?post=3072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}