Lieutenant Robert William Gray

Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal

Robert William Gray was born to the Reverend and Mrs. WF Gray of Hot Springs NM on September 29, 1920. He was their only son. Moving to Las Cruces with his family, he graduated from Las Cruces HS and entered NMAMC in fall of 1938. He was enrolled as a junior when, in the fall of 1941, he left school to loin the USAAF. In July of 1942 he received his pilot wings and, immediately returning to Las Cruces, married Miss Burta Fite on July 5th, 1942. Burta was the daughter of AB Fite, State Director of the Agriculture Experimental Station. In early 1943 he was assigned to the 37th Bomb Squadron, 17th Bomb Group (Medium) flying B-26 Marauder Bombers. Stationed out of Telergma Field, Algeria, he was forced to crash land his ship on his first combat sortie after having an engine shot away. On March 22, 1943, while flying on his 7th combat sortie, Lt Gray was piloting B-26 # 41-17883 when he attacked a heavily defended convoy at mast level in the Sicilian Straits, approximately 5 miles north of Cape Bizerte Tunisia. Despite intense and accurate enemy fire, he continued his bomb run, successfully attacking several ships in the convoy before his aircraft crashed into the sea in flames. For this action he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. His body was never recovered and today he is memorialized on the Tablet of the Missing at the North African American Cemetery in Carthage Tunisia. Lt Robert William Gray was 22 years of age at the time of his death.