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NAME Harold Gwen Gay |
NICKNAME — |
SERVICE NUMBER 315728 |
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| UNIT VMSB-143 Radioman |
HOME OF RECORD 635 Columbia Street, Delta, CO |
NEXT OF KIN Parents, George & Nellie Gay |
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| DATE OF BIRTH September 3, 1921 in Delta, CO |
ENTERED SERVICE August 2, 1941 in Denver, CO |
DATE OF LOSS March 21, 1943 |
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| REGION Solomon Islands |
CAMPAIGN / AREA Bougainville |
CASUALTY TYPE Missing In Action Declared Dead March 22, 1945 |
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| CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS Sergeant Harold G. Gay was a radio operator assigned to VMSB-143, a Marine torpedo bomber squadron operating out of Henderson Field, Guadalcanal. On the night of 21 March 1943, 2Lt. Ellis Matheson‘s crew was one of forty assigned to sow mines off the coast of Bougainville. The mission was flown in darkness and under strict radio silence. Despite a stretch of bad weather near Guadalcanal, the target area was clear and the mine drop a success. Lt. Matheson’s bomber (TBF-1 Bureau Number 06091) was the only aircraft that failed to return from the mission. The entire crew – Matheson, Sergeant Gay, and PFC Louis A. Lahr – were reported as missing in action. Their status was changed to “declared dead” on 22 March 1945. |
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| INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS Air Medal, Purple Heart |
LAST KNOWN RANK Sergeant |
STATUS OF REMAINS Not recovered. |
MEMORIALS Delta Cemetery, Delta, CO Manila American Cemetery |
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