| Robert Edward Femoyer | |
|---|---|
| Born | October 31, 1921 Huntington, West Virginia |
| Died | November 2, 1944 (aged 23) England |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army Air Forces |
| Years of service | 1942–1944 |
| Rank | Second Lieutenant |
| Unit | 711th Bombardment Squadron, 447th Bomb Group (Heavy) |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | Medal of Honor Purple Heart |
| Other work | Eagle Scout |
Robert Edward Femoyer (October 31, 1921–November 2, 1944) is one of only eight known Eagle Scouts who also received the Medal of Honor; the others are Aquilla J. Dyess, Eugene B. Fluckey, Charles P. Murray, Jr., Mitchell Paige, Ben L. Salomon, Leo K. Thorsness and Jay Zeamer, Jr. He served in the U.S. Army Air Forces and is the only navigator awarded the Medal of Honor.
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Femoyer was from Huntington, West Virginia, an Eagle Scout, he attended Virginia Tech, Class of 1944.[1] A building at Virginia Tech is named in his honor.[1]
Femoyer joined the Enlisted Reserve Corps on November 11, 1942. He was called to active duty in February 1942 and took basic training at Miami Beach, Florida. He became an aviation cadet in July 1943, but failed his pilot training at the Mississippi Institute of Aeronautics in Jackson, Mississippi. In 1944, he graduated from the Army Air Force (AAF) Flexible Gunnery School at Fort Myers, Florida, and the AAF Navigation School at Selman Field, Louisiana. He went to the European Theater in September 1944, as a second lieutenant and was assigned to the 447th Bomb Group's 711th Squadron.
Six weeks later, on November 2, 1944, as a navigator on a bombing mission over Merseburg, Germany, he was wounded by enemy aircraft fire, which seriously damaged his B-17 Flying Fortress bomber. In spite of extreme pain and great loss of blood he refused morphine in order to keep his mental faculties clear. For two and half-hours he guided the lone bomber through six changes in course around enemy antiaircraft concentrations. Bleeding steadily, he worked with amazing clarity despite pain described as "almost beyond the realm of human endurance". As the crippled aircraft crossed safely over the English Channel, Second Lieutenant Robert Femoyer finally allowed an injection of morphine. Thirty minutes after landing he died of wounds. For his actions during this mission, he posthumously received the Medal of Honor.
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty near Merseburg, Germany, on 2 November 1944. While on a mission, the bomber, of which 2d Lt. Femoyer was the navigator, was struck by 3 enemy antiaircraft shells. The plane suffered serious damage and 2d Lt. Femoyer was severely wounded in the side and back by shell fragments which penetrated his body. In spite of extreme pain and great loss of blood he refused an offered injection of morphine. He was determined to keep his mental faculties clear in order that he might direct his plane out of danger and so save his comrades. Not being able to arise from the floor, he asked to be propped up in order to enable him to see his charts and instruments. He successfully directed the navigation of his lone bomber for 21⁄2 hours so well it avoided enemy flak and returned to the field without further damage. Only when the plane had arrived in the safe area over the English Channel did he feel that he had accomplished his objective; then, and only then, he permitted an injection of a sedative. He died shortly after being removed from the plane. The heroism and self-sacrifice of 2d Lt. Femoyer are in keeping with the highest traditions of the U.S. Army.