Charles Howard Rayot
Sergeant Charles H. Rayot was a Marine aviator with VMSB-236.
His aircraft was lost in a storm near Malekula Island, Vanuatu, on 5 December 1943.
Branch
Marine Corps Reserve
Service Number 418269
Current Status
Remains Not Recovered.
Pursuit Category
The DPAA has not publicized this information.
Capsule History
Pre-War Life
Birth
May 24, 1923
at Akron, OH
Parents
Harold Vivian Rayot
Darlene (Coulter) Rayot
later Darlene Schuman
Education
Buchtel High School (1942)
Occupation & Employer
Student
Service Life
Entered Service
July 18, 1942
at Cleveland, OH
Home Of Record
Akron, OH
Next Of Kin
Mother, Mrs. Darlene Schuman
Military Specialty
Aviation radioman / gunner
Primary Unit
VMSB-236
Campaigns Served
Solomon Islands (one tour)
Individual Decorations
—
Additional Service Details
—
Loss And Burial
Circumstances Of Loss
On 5 December 1943, the rear flight echelon of VMSB-236 – a dive bomber squadron based at Efate – flew a routine anti-sub patrol around the islands of Vanuatu (then called New Hebrides). A storm front moving through the area complicated the search, and one SBD Dauntless lost its bearings. The pilot, First Lieutenant James P. Parks, reckoned he was near the southwest tip of Malekula Island and radioed back to Efate.
“When last heard from, Lt. Parks stated that he was out of gas and was about to make a water landing,” noted the squadron’s war diary. “He was instructed to turn on his emergency IFF but all efforts to get a bearing on him failed.” Nothing more was heard from Parks or his gunner, Sergeant Charles H. Rayot.
Fellow pilots searched the islands for two days, but were unable to find any trace of the missing Marines of their plane.
Burial Information or Disposition
Parks and Rayot were reported as “missing, not in combat” on 5 December 1943, and officially declared dead on 6 December 1944.
Next Of Kin Address
Wartime address of mother, Mrs. Darlene Schuman.
Location Of Loss
Rayot’s last reported position was off the southwest tip of Malekula Island.
