Richard Schlotterer was born in Norristown, Pennsylvania on 1 August 1923. He was the oldest of Henry and Louise Schlotterer’s three sons, and spent nearly all of his young life in and around Norristown and nearby West Norriton.

Schlotterer joined the Marine Corps on 16 July 1942. He was selected for an aviation track after completing boot camp, and underwent additional training at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point in the fall and winter of 1942.

Early the next year, PFC Schlotterer was assigned to duty with VMSB-235, a new dive bomber squadron, and deployed to the Pacific for his first combat tour. He frequently flew with Lt. George H. Keen,and the two shared a narrow escape on a combat mission to Kolombangara. Engine failure caused Keen to ditch their aircraft near New Georgia, but fortunately the Marines were picked up by an Army boat within minutes. They were soon back on the flying roster, none the worse for wear; Schlotterer was dubbed “The Lucky Sergeant” when the story reached the Philadelphia Inquirer.

On 9 November 1943, Keen and Schlotterer took off on a routine training flight practicing radio problems. Their course took them on a bearing east of Efate, about a dozen miles from the tip of Manuro Point.

At approximately 1400 hours, SBD-4 #10737 was seen to go into a steep glide towards the water. The pilot managed to pull the aircraft into a quarter turn, but failed to slow the descent. They hit the water with a gigantic splash and sank like a stone. No trace of Keen or Schlotterer was observed after the crash.

Area searches continued for three days with no results. The two Marines were officially declared dead as of 9 November 1943.

CENOTAPHS
Honolulu Memorial, Courts Of The Missing