Frank and Honora; 28 April, 2011

Hello!
    Thank you so much for your quick reply. I have sent the group photo to Barbara. I have one other photo of Frank with three other men. I think that one was probably taken during training in the United States, although that is just my impression. I can't read the names on two of the men, although one of them might be "p. wales". One of the men is labelled "Red". Not helpful! I'll email that one if you like. Of course, I have several other photos of Frank Orfila individually.
    As I think I mentioned previously, my mom would probably have married him had he survived the war. He had one brother, Harry Orfila, who was killed in a submarine just before Frank was killed. Their mother, who was then left alone, became my dear GODMOTHER, and we were very close. Mom (Honora) never had a sense of closure about Frank's death. She had been told that he had been buried in Bari, Italy, but I have not been able to confirm that, and I know that he is memorialized at the cemetery at Nettuno. I had thought that his body was not recovered, but mom says that his mother did have the option to bring his body home but did not because she could not recover the body of her other son. It was she who told mom that he was buried at Bari. Frank was a crew chief, and would not ordinarily have been flying. He was being transferred to the base in Foggia when the plane went down.
    Thank you all for your interest in history. My mom is 91 years old, and in some ways, the pain of losing Frank is still very sharp.   Warmest regards,   Margaret Gustafson

Orfila, Frank T., T/Sgt., Engineering, Enlistment Service # : 14079778 KILLED on 19 February 1944 on Shuttle Service Mission Between Vincenzo & Gaudo, Italy. The Plane Exploded in the Air and Crashed into Lake Lesina, North of Foggia. Cause of the Crash Was Never Known.

U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 Name: Frank T Orfila
ARMY SERIAL NUMBER 14079778 14079778 Birth Year: 1918 Race: White, citizen (White)
Nativity State or Country: Mississippi; State of Residence: Mississippi; Enlistment Date: 14 Jan 1942
Enlistment State: Mississippi; Enlistment City: Camp Shelby; Branch: Air Corps; Grade: Private
Source: Civil Life; Education: 3 years of high school; Civil Occupation: Semiskilled welders and flame cutters; Marital Status: Single, without dependents; Height: 70; Weight: 166

U.S. Rosters of World War II Dead, 1939-1945; Name: Frank T Orfila; Gender: Male; Race: White
religion: Catholic; Disposition: Nonrecoverable; Service Branch: Army; Rank: Technical Sergeant
Service Number: 14079778

U.S. WWII Military Personnel Missing In Action or Lost At Sea, 1941-1946; Name: Frank T Orfila
Date of Loss: 19 Feb 1944 0; Branch: U.S. Army Air Force; Rank: T SG; Service Number: 14079778
Status: Missing in Action

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World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas; Name: Frank T Orfila; Inducted From: Louisiana; Rank: Technical Sergeant; Combat Organization: 447th Bomber Squadron 321st Bomber

Death Date: 19 Feb 1944; Monument: Sicily & Rome, Italy; Last Known Status: Missing

National WWII Memorial, Washington, D.C.; Registry~NARA~War Department Files; Honoree Hometown Service Source; Frank T. Orfila Orleans Parish, LA U.S. Army National Archives; T SG Frank T. Orfila ID: 14079778; Branch of Service: U.S. Army; Hometown: Orleans Parish, LA; Status: DNB

National WWII Memorial, Washington, D.C.; Registry~NARA~War Department Files; Honoree Hometown Service Source; Frank T. Orfila LA U.S. Army Air Forces ABMC Tablets of the Missing
Frank T. Orfila ID: 14079778; Entered the Service From: Louisiana; Rank: Technical Sergeant
Service: U.S. Army Air Forces, 447th Bomber Squadron, 321st Bomber Group, Medium; Died: Saturday, February 19, 1944; Memorialized at: Sicily-Rome American Cemetery; Location: Nettuno, Italy

From: findagrave.com: TSgt Frank T Orfila; Birth: unknown; Death: Feb. 19, 1944; Note: Entered the service from Louisiana.; Burial: Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial Nettuno, Lazio, Italy