First Lieutenant Raymond A. Guerrein

First Lieutenant Raymond A. Guerrein

Raymond A. Guerrein was born on September 5th, 1924 to Leopold Guerrein. and Anna W. Guerrein in Erie, PA.  Guerrein graduated from Academy High in 1942 and entered Gannon University to pursue a degree in Chemistry.  But from a young age, he had a fascination with flying.

 

In an excerpt from his published diary of his WWII missions, Guerrein writes “I think it all started back in 1931 when I was in second grade. Since my older brother ran a local movie theater in Erie, PA, I was able to see lots of shows and this particular one stuck with me. It was a silent movie, entitled, “Wings”, about WWI dog fights, Spads & Fokers, and starred Clara Bow, Richard Arlen, Buddy Rogers & Gary Cooper. After seeing this movie, I knew I would be flying some day.”

 

When December 7, 1941 hit, Guerrein was 17 and a senior in high school.  Like every American of that time, he was shocked and filled with an extreme sense of patriotism.  He had finished his first semester of college at Gannon and on November 5, 1942, enlisted in the Army Aviation Cadets, awaiting a call-up to active duty. That letter from the War Department eventually arrived the next spring and he reported to the Classification Center in Nashville, TN on April 11, 1943.  In mid-August, following basic, flight and navigation training, he and his other crew members met in Lincoln, NE and picked up a “hot-off-the-assembly-line” B-17G for their trip to war-ravaged England.  Guerrein often said that he was proud to have been in the Army Aviation Corp. where he participated in thirty-five bombing missions during 1944-1945, as a Navigator with the Eighth’s 96th Bomb Group, 339th Squadron, stationed in Snetterton Heath, near Norwich in eastern England.

 

After completing his required missions, he was honorably discharged from the Army Aviation Corp. and came back to Erie, PA to complete his degree in Chemistry.  In his senior year of college, he attended a mixer at Villa Marie College, where he met Joan K. Marsh, the love of his life.  They married in 1948 and had nearly 66 years of wedded bliss until his death on February 3, 2014.  They were blessed with three children and four grandchildren.

 

Guerrein went on to receive his Master’s degree in organic chemistry in 1950 from Case Western Reserve in Cleveland, OH.  He worked as a rubber chemist in several companies over the years, finally finishing his career as Plant Manager of Anchor Continental in Columbia, SC.  After retirement, he taught Chemistry for a few years and was also active in DHEC and Waste Reduction Partners in SC and NC.  He was an avid bridge player, crossword puzzle fanatic and bowler. 

 

Mr. Guerrein received many awards during his life.  He was recognized by the Senate of SC for his efforts toward environmental improvement in 1994.  He was the President of the Five Points Rotary Club in Columbia, SC from 1978-1979.  He was a Paul Harris Fellow for Rotary International.  He was on the Board of Advisors for Mt. St. Mary’s Hospital, Niagara Falls, NY.  He was also on the Board of Directors for Handicapped Workshop, Columbia, SC.