Morton Ogden Stafford Jr★ World War II Gold Star Veteran from Pennsylvania
On August 1, 1943 Staff Sergeant Stafford was declared a casualty of World War II. ★ He served with honor in the United States Army Air Forces. ★ He is remembered by the people of Pennsylvania. ★ May his positive example inspire us. Working together towards peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.
▶ Submit Update Request ▼ Content Integrity Note
Our displayed data concerning the life and military history of Morton Ogden Stafford Jr is a work in progress. We've assembled a list of elements we are in the process of researching and reviewing. This profile was last edited on 2021-04-05 01:57:25.
Missing : Core Data
· Enlistment type· Date of tour or service
Missing : Supplemental Data
· Birth + childhood location· Marriage history
· Expanded references and citations
Service Details
| This Profile ID | 326249 |
| Service ID | 13029264 |
| Name | Morton Ogden Stafford Jr |
| From | Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania |
| Birth Date | March 29, 1919 |
| Casualty Date | August 1, 1943 |
| War | World War II |
| Service Branch | Army Air Forces |
| Rank | Staff Sergeant |
| Specialty | Gunner |
| Unit/Group | 328th Bomber Squadron, 93rd Bomber Group, Heavy |
| Casualty Type | Killed in Action |
| Location | Ploesti, Romania |
| Burial | Plot C, Row 24, Grave 14, American War Cemetery Ardennes |
| Notable Awards |
★ Distinguished Flying Cross
★ Air Medal
★ Purple Heart |
| Remembered | 
Morton Ogden Stafford Jr is buried or memorialized at Plot C, Row 24, Grave 14, American War Cemetery Ardennes. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location. |
Additional Details
Morton Stafford was the son of Morton O Stafford Sr and Ethel Scherer. He joined the US Air Corps on September 29, 1943 from Philadelphia. His family was also associated with Bala Cynwyd, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He had graduated from high school and worked in a textile factory before he joined the service.His father Morton Stafford Sr had died in 1942. His sister Helen Stafford would go on to become a renowned plant biologist and eventually create a one million dollar scholarship fund in honor of Morton Stafford Jr. On August 1, 1943 he was on the crew of the B-24 Liberator #42-40994 "Hell's Wench" during a mission to bomb the oil refinery at Ploesti, Romania. Three miles from the target, their bomber was badly damaged by enemy ground fire and set on fire. Despite the challenges, they succeeded in releasing their bombs on the target. They continued to try and give the plane more altitude so the crew members could bail out, but the fire in the ship became so intense that it made further progress impossible. They crashed into the target area, killing everyone on board. We identified 10 casualties in our archive related to the #42-40994 incident on August 1, 1943.
◼Morton O Stafford Jr :: Gunner
|
Commendations + Awards
Please note this might not be a complete or completely accurate accounting. For some awards we use probability factors based on known service details. Thanks for your understanding.
★ Distinguished Flying Cross
★ Air Medal
★ Purple Heart
★ World War II Victory Medal
★ American Campaign Medal
★ Army Presidential Unit Citation
★ Army Good Conduct Medal
★ European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign
Notable Reference Sources
These are typically links to pages on external sites that have provided specific nodes of information. In most cases the information has some assurance of being crowd-sourced and vetted by a community of users.Pennsylvania Gold Star Veterans Gallery
Honoring the men and women of Pennsylvania who gave their all for their country. May their example of courage and sacrifice be our guide. To be strong and responsible in our lives as citizens of the world. 
Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
Pennsylvania was home to over 44,121 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
Pennsylvania was home to over 44,121 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
• 8,391 World War I
• 30,159 World War II
• 2,413 Korean War
• 3,158 Vietnam War
• 461 Prisoners of war
• 6,364 Missing in action
• 76 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 524 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 36 Medal of Honor recipients
• 30,159 World War II
• 2,413 Korean War
• 3,158 Vietnam War
• 461 Prisoners of war
• 6,364 Missing in action
• 76 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 524 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 36 Medal of Honor recipients
Guardians of Honor Credits
▼ Organizational Supporters - HonorStates.org and the National Unified Archive of American Gold Star Veterans is stringently curated. This attention to quality extends to our supporters program. We carefully research and screen prospective organizations we perceive as being suitably aligned with our mission
▶ San Diego Coin & Bullion
▶ American Veterans Center 75th D-Day Congressional Reception
▶ USS Midway Museum 75th Pearl Harbor Wall of Honor
▶ National D-Day Memorial
▼ Research Contributors - Groups and individuals who have been directly responsible for curating content. Some are experienced historians and archivists, others are enthusiastic members of the public who have suggested content additions or corrections.
Honor States Admin
Roy "Joker"
Sarah Jo "Lady Chaos"
▼ Primary Sources - These are repositories for artifacts, documents, diaries, manuscripts, and other information that serve as original and authoritative sources of information.
National Archives (NARA)
Library of Congress (LOC)
Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA)
Findagrave.com
Ancestry.com
Honoring our fallen. Together. Uniting us in meaningful common cause. When we work together to honor our Gold Star veterans, we heal our nation together. It's a team effort. Everyone's invited to join as a Citizen Historian and Guardian of Honor. - learn more
Here is Some Important Information!
U-Haul Supported National Memorial Day Parade
U-Haul has been a proud supporter of the Keep the Spirit of 45 Alive organization since its beginnings in 2009. In 2019, the Honor States organization was honored to be a featured content provider in the group parade tribute to the fallen at D-Day.
★ Featured National Supporter
Our Supporters are Essential Team Members! - learn more
Erica - It makes me happy to Honor the fallen while helping research their backgrounds. I'm eager to get my family involved.
Margaret - Thank you for all the hard work you've put into this project. I know you have a small team and are determined to do your best.
Chuck - I thank greatly. I am alerting your site to all of the Veteran organizations I belong to. Need to get the word out there.
Ronnie - It's so easy to take our freedoms for granted. I'm guilty of that. Thanks to Honor States and these daily reminders.
Copyright 2024, Created in the USA
General Disclaimer - This is a private sector project developed by Hello Pineapple LLC. Although we enter into collaborative associations with many supporting organizations, this site is not owned or operated by any Government body. All information found on this site has been obtained through fair use public contributions. We've done our best to craft a valuable and comprehensive product for the benefit of our world's collective history, however we make no claims of 100% accuracy. :)
Furthermore, the information provided on this website is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal or contractural advice. Parts of this website may include sections that may be considered advertising in a broad sense. All information is current at the time of publication, however it is subject to change by it's very nature.