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NAME Robert Lynn Riddlebaugh |
NICKNAME — |
SERVICE NUMBER 389202 |
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| UNIT VMSB-143 Aviator |
HOME OF RECORD 2621 North Center Street Merchantville, NJ |
NEXT OF KIN Mother, Mrs. Marjorie Riddlebaugh |
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| DATE OF BIRTH December 23, 1921 at Findlay, OH |
ENTERED SERVICE May 1, 1942 at Philadelphia, PA |
DATE OF LOSS May 30, 1943 |
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| REGION Solomon Islands |
CAMPAIGN / AREA Guadalcanal |
CASUALTY TYPE Non-battle death Declared dead May 31, 1945 |
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CIRCUMSTANCES OF LOSS On 30 May 1943, Riddlebaugh and his crew – 1Lt. Calvert S. Bowie and Cpl. Reuben C. Cooper – took one of the squadron’s Avenger bombers (TBF-1 BuNo 01737) aloft for a routine test hop. At 0944, for reasons unknown, this aircraft went down at sea approximately eight miles offshore of Lunga Point. Sailors aboard the USS Pringle saw the splash, and the destroyer hurried to the scene but found only an oil slick – no debris, and no survivors. Because the crash could not be immediately proven as Avenger #01737, the crew was reported as missing. Robert Riddlebaugh was officially declared dead as of 31 May 1945. |
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| INDIVIDUAL DECORATIONS Commendation Ribbon |
LAST KNOWN RANK Private |
STATUS OF REMAINS Not recovered |
MEMORIALS Manila American Cemetery |
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Biography:
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