Jesse Raymond LaRue

1919 - 1943  (~ 23 years)

• Name	Jesse Raymond LaRue
  Birth	Mar 1919	Pennsylvania
  Gender	Male
  Death	13 Mar 1943	Burma
  Notes	He died on 13 Mar 1943 at the age of 24 in Burma. Sgt. Jesse R. LaRue, son of Mrs. Josephine LaRue, Ellerslie, shot down a Jap Zero the latter part of last month, according to dispatches from Rangoon, India. Sgt. Larue, top turret gunner on a four-engine U. S. bomber, saved himself and his plane mates by turning loose a terrific burst of fire on the Zero as it was diving. The Zero peeled off to the left before firing a shot and burst into flames. "The twin-50s did it," Larue said. "They're great guns." Larue enlisted May 5, 1941. He trained at Tampa Field and Maxwell Field, Fla., and since getting into the thick of the aerial warfare, he's seen service in the Middle East, Egypt and India. The Cumberland Evening Times, January 18, 1943 Mrs. Josephine LaRue of Hyndman R. D. has received word from the War Department notifying her that her son, Sgt. Jesse LeRue, 25, is now officially considered dead. Sgt. LaRue previously had been reported as missing in action in the Burma theatre of operations. The soldier entered the service in 1942 and was assigned to the Army Air Forces. He was trained as a turret gunner and had been overseas for several months prior to being reported missing in action. The deceased was a graduate of the Hyndman High School. The Bedford Gazette, August 11, 1944 Jesse was in the 10th. AAF - Missing in action 03-13-1943 - Was a gunner on a bomber - China, Burma, India - Received Air Medal month before going missing. Body never recovered - Went to Hyndman, Pa. High School - Parents: Clarence and Josephine LaRue. - Jesse's name is on Veterans La Rue was a gunner on a B-24D assigned to the Tenth Air Force, 7th Bombardment Group, 9th Bombardment Squadron. They were taking part in a mission of four planes to bomb the Pazundaung Bridge at Rangoon, Burma. The formation was attacked by at least seven Japanese fighters, and though the crews fought gallantly, the enemy succeeded in shooting down La Rue's and another plane. They crashed into the Gulf of Martaban, a few miles south of Rangoon. There were no survivors. He was from Allegany County, MD, and received the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal and the Purple Heart. La Rue is also memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing in the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial in the Philippines. Monument in Hyndman, Pa. Cemetery, which gives a dod as March 13, 1943
  Person ID	I45496	McKenzie Genealogy
  Last Modified	29 Oct 2021

  
  

  Father	Clarence LaRue,   b. May 1891   d. UNKNOWN
  Relationship	natural
  Mother	Josephine Burley,   b. 6 Nov 1886, Ellerslie, Allegany County, Maryland d. 2 Nov 1962, Frostburg, Allegany County, Maryland (Age 75 years)
  Relationship	natural
  Family ID	F16947	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart