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| SEPA 3/29 H/M Major Laurence R. Gulick USAF WWII D-Day https://www.warriorswatch.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=6290 |
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| Author: | Scouter [ Mon Mar 28, 2022 2:53 pm ] |
| Post subject: | SEPA 3/29 H/M Major Laurence R. Gulick USAF WWII D-Day |
SEPA 3/29 H/M Major Laurence R. Gulick USAF WWII D-Day This is a Sanctioned Mission. PGR has the lead... PGR has invited WWR to stand with them to honor a World War II Hero. We are glad to be invited and stand with you... The Patriot Guard / Warriors' Watch Riders have been invited by the family of Maj Gulick, United States Air Force to stand in his Honor at his funeral service. Ray was born April 18, 1921 at his parent’s home in Philadelphia. As a young child he was inspired by the daring adventures of the famous pilot Charles Lindburgh and soon caught the aviation bug. The curiosity that started with rubber band powered models led into a long military and civilian career around airplanes. Flying also shaped his future family. It was through mutual friends in the local Philadelphia flying community that he met his wife, Betty George, who was also a private pilot. They had been married 42 years when she passed in 2004. Ray was always industrious and hard working. Early school jobs shoveling snow and cleaning bottles at the Canada Dry factory where his father worked. His family would move a few times to the New York area (Bogota, NY, Teaneck, NJ and Queens, NY) following his father’s supervisory job. He graduated high school back in Philadelphia with the Frankford High class of 1939. After a year of prep school he entered Lehigh University as an engineering student in the fall of 1941. He would say that was “not yesterday”. When Pearl Harbor was attacked, he and his fellow students were eager to enlist, but were advised to complete their year. In the summer of 1942, he chose the Army Air Forces and qualified for pilot, bombardier and navigation school. He selected bombardier training and was assigned to a B-24 crew in 466th Bomb Group in the Mighty Eighth Air Force. After nearly a year training, in February 1944, they flew their plane across the Atlantic to their base in Attlebridge, England in East Anglia. Maj Gulick Served in the United States Air Force from 1942 to 1968. In the summer of 1942, he chose the Army Air Forces and qualified for pilot, bombardier and navigation school. He selected bombardier training and was assigned to a B-24 crew in 466th Bomb Group in the Mighty Eighth Air Force. On his first mission at 22 years old, Lt. Gulick along with his tail gunner, removed 4-100lb live bombs rolling on top of 3-100lb bombs that had hung up and failed to release. They walked out onto a 9-inch catwalk above open bomb bay doors at 16,000 feet without oxygen, gloves or a parachute with air temperatures of -30F. They carefully lifted and released these live bombs and in so doing saved their airship and all ten men aboard, as the slightest jostle would have detonated them and landing would have been impossible. Other notable wartime accomplishments include his bomb personally taking out a railroad bridge critical to Nazi operations in Blois, France. He was part of the D-Day invasion bombing coastal France prior to the beach landings. For this he was awarded the French Legion of Honor by the Ambassador of France in the fall of 2018. Maj Gulick received the following awards: Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal w/3 Oak Leaf Clusters and 4 Battle Stars. Rally Point: Arlington Cemetery, 2900 State Rd., Drexel PA 19026 Rally Time: 12:30 PM RC: Available |
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| Author: | Calamity [ Mon Mar 28, 2022 3:13 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: SEPA 3/29 H/M Major Laurence R. Gulick USAF WWII D-Day |
Rest in eternal peace |
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| Author: | Dep354 [ Mon Mar 28, 2022 5:50 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: SEPA 3/29 H/M Major Laurence R. Gulick USAF WWII D-Day |
Standing by caging. |
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