The Waterbury Democrat., 1944-11-15

An Eighth Air Force Bomber Station, England - Twenty eight year old First Lieutenant George F. McNamara, navigator of the
 B-17 Flying Fortress, "Supersti-
 tiouS Al-o-wis-yus," was recently
 cited by his group commander as
 member of an outstanding crew.
 He holds the Distinguished Fly
 ing Cross with Oak Leaf Cluster
 ad the Air Medal with three Oak
 Leaf Clusters.
 The Eighth Air Force navigator
 is the son of MT. and Mrs. Frank
 J. McNamara of 31 Elmwood ave-
 nue, Waterbury. Before the war
 he was a manager for the Darcey
 Transportation Company. He is
 graduate of Crosby High school.
 The Waterbury youth is a vet
 eran of Eighth Air Force attacks
 on oil ref1nerieS at Magdeburg,
 factories ta Berlin, rail yards at
 Ludwigshafen, and a factory at
 Dresden. He also took part in the
 air activities on D-Day.
 The crew citation said, in part:
 This lead crew has made an out
 standing record, exhibiting all of
 the qualities of leadership and
 maintaining very high standard
 of crew cooperation"
 Lieutenant McNamara is 6
 member of the 486th Bomb. Group
 a unit of the Third Bombardment
 Division, the division cited by the
 President for its epic England
 Africa shuttle bombing of the
 MeSserSchmitt plants at RegenS-
 burg, Germany.
 An Eighth Air Force Fighter Sta tion, England - Second Lieutenant Vincent s. Ray, of Ill Watertown avenue, Waterbury, Conn, son of MT. and Mrs. Samuel w. Ray, is now piloting PAY Thunderbolt with the veteran 356th Fighter Group, com- manded by Lieutenant Colonel Philip E. Tukey, Jr., of Cape Eliza beth, Maine.
 Flying his big Thunderbolt as 8 bomber, the 21-year -old pilot has been pounding the Nazi war in almost daily sweeps over enemy Europe. Besides bombing gun emplacementS, bridges and key rail- way centers in low-level attacks, he has been taking part in ground straf- ing operations, raking concentra- tions of enemy troops and tank and motor vehicle columns with wither- ing machine gun fire from his eight 50 caliber wing guns. At other times Lieutenant Ray goes out over Eu- rope with his Group to provide cover for the huge formations of U. s. heavy bombers on their daylight, precision bombing attacks on Strate- gical targets deep in enemy terri tory.
 Lieutenant Ray enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces on February A, 1943, and after receiv- ing basic and advanced training in Texas, was commissioned March 12, 1944. He is 8 graduate of Wilby High school in Waterbury, and is the husband of the former Shirley Woodworth, of 153 Willow street. Waterbury, Conn.
 Corporal Carroll Oakes of Thorn- aston, husband of the former Kay Sanderson, has been awarded the Bronze star for service rendered in France. He is now serving as an driver in Belgium.
 Lieut.. Boardman Getsinger, Jr., husband of the former Ruth Kinkel of Middlebury, has arrived overseas according to word received here. He is a pilot on B-24 Liberator.
 Robert F. FitzSimons of 53 Lud- low street is now at a landing craft school at San Diego, Calf. A sea- man, first class, he served pre- viously on an aircraft carrier.
 Michael Hychka of Middlebury, who is stationed at Bowdoin college, Maine, has been pro- noted to radio technician, third class.
 Vincent Mastroianni, son of Mir. and Mrs. J. Mastroianni of 14S South Elm street, has been pro- noted from lieutenant, junior grade, to lieutenant, senior grade at the Naval Station at Sampson, N. v xr,l,nvo I.n hoe tl1.. .,-.-.s-.-. -s....