Staff Sergeant Ray Anthony “Junior” Etherton, Junior was born 22 Jan 1921 in Barton County, Kansas to Ray (1894-1992) and Emma nee Ricker (1902-1957) Etherton Sr. Ray Sr worked in the flour mill, but he served in WWI. Ray junior is one of nine children: Charles, Vernon, Maxine Ella, James, Wilma, Margaret, Lavena and Donald. Charles was in the Navy, Donald in the Army, both came home.

Ray only attended one year of high school and by 1940 he is also working at the Wolf Milling Company. He registered for the draft on 16 Feb 1942 from Ellinwood, Kansas. He entered active duty Army Air Force on 11 Aug 1942. He was a member of the 411th Bomb Squadron, 29th Bomber Group.

Wikipedia article:

“The 411th Bombardment Group was activated at Will Rogers Field, Oklahoma on 1 August 1944. By the summer of 1942, the U-boat threat in the Gulf began to diminish, with all German submarines being withdrawn from the area by September. No longer needed in the Gulf, the group moved to Gowen Field, Idaho, where it became an Operational Training Unit (OTU). The OTU program involved the use of an oversized parent unit to provide cadres to "satellite groups". The 96th, 381st, 384th and 388th Bombardment Groups were all formed at Gowen in the second half of 1942. They flew B-17s Flying Fortress.”

SGT Etherton was on a B-17E Flying Fortress #41-9181 when it collided with another B17 41-2603 and crashed at Gowen Field, Ada County, Idaho. The other plane landed safely. It is unclear what position SGT Etherton held on this plane. He did not survive the crash which occurred on 15 Jan 1943, at age 21 just a week short of his 22nd birthday. One crew member survived with arm and shoulder injuries, the nine others died as well.

SGT Etherton was buried at Lakin Comanche Cemetery, Ellinwood, Kansas. He was unmarried and without known offspring.

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (see www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 421,000+ US WWII fallen on Together We Served and Fold3. Can you help write these stories? Together We Served and Fold3/Find a Grave have smartphone apps that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery and read these stories of the WWII fallen. SBTSProject/Kansas/Barton

If you noticed anything erroneous in this profile or have additional information to contribute to it, please email feedback@storiesbehindthestars.org.

Sources:

Find a grave: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/102917190/ray-anthony-etherton

Idaho death certificate: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/139724:60566?tid=&pid=&queryId=fe94abbc05e3c49c989db48931cfaf6d&_phsrc=wau18&_phstart=successSource

1930 census: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/32389374:6224?tid=&pid=&queryId=6a0c3e5e69646f7c432988bfe43f3c9e&_phsrc=wau19&_phstart=successSource

1940 census: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/60449657:2442?tid=&pid=&queryId=6a0c3e5e69646f7c432988bfe43f3c9e&_phsrc=wau20&_phstart=successSource

Draft card: https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/25004479:2238?tid=&pid=&queryId=6a0c3e5e69646f7c432988bfe43f3c9e&_phsrc=wau21&_phstart=successSource

Aviation Safety: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/97367

USAAF Data: http://usaafdata.com/?q=node/118386

Ray A Etherton