Michael T La Medica

Since 2005 i adopted the grave of Micheal T La Medica
then the search was started for information

Michael war born on 5 December 1919 in Brooklyn , New York
He was the son of Thomas and Francis La Medica
Michael joint 1941 the RCAF were he was trained as an radio- operator (found no records that he was flying combat missions)

On 28 oktober 1942 he entlistment the USAAF and was sent over seas to the 91th BG, 323 BS as an replecement radio-operator/gunner

he Flew his first mission in december 1942

THE MISSION
on 4 februari the target of the day was Hamm in germany, but heavy cloud forced a change of target to Emden in Germany
Michael was the replecement radio-operator/ gunner on the B-17F
41-24589 OR-R "Texas Bronco"

crewlist:
pilot : 1lt Eugene B ellis
copilot : 2lt Kenneth H Futch
navigator : 2lt Howard H Dunham
bombardier 1lt Marvin H Beiseker Jr
topturretgunner: s\sgt Anthony Gaeta
radio-operator : s/sgt Michael T La Medica
ballturretgunner : s/sgt Nathan L Floyd
waistgunner :s/sgt Rodney E Demars
waistgunner :sgt Joseph L Mastroberadino
tailgunner :s/sgt William E Howard

The plane was damaged by flak and on the return flight attacked by
ME 109 of JG1 of Jever and later by ME110 of NJG1of Leeuwarden
1lt Ellis decided to made an crashlanding en landed with the damaged B-17 on the beach of the Island Terschelling in the netherlands
1lt Beiseker was killid by the fighterattacks en was burried on the Island

Michael La Medica was badly wounded and was brought by an german plane to the bonefatius hospital in Leeuwarden were he died in the night of 4/5 februari
He was burried on the Noorder Cemetery in leeuwarden in the grave row 2 grave 3 under the name Mikel Samelica with full militairy honor
After the war he was transported to the Cemetery of Margraten in the south of the Netherlands
He was burried first as unknown X-1948 on row 11 grave 252 and later indentified asl Michael T Lamedica
He is burried now in plot L Row 7 grave 22