Rubin MacNiel Raiford★ World War II Gold Star Veteran from South Carolina
On October 25, 1944 Cook Second Class Raiford was declared a casualty of World War II. ★ He served with honor in the United States Navy. ★ He is remembered by the people of South Carolina. ★ May his positive example inspire us. Working together towards peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.
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Our displayed data concerning the life and military history of Rubin MacNiel Raiford 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 2019-06-07 21:17:12.
Missing : Core Data
· Enlistment type· Special awards and honors
· Date of tour or service
Missing : Supplemental Data
· Birth + childhood location· Educational background
· Marriage history
· Parents, family history
· Expanded references and citations
Service Details
| This Profile ID | 79999 |
| Service ID | 5757614 |
| Name | Rubin MacNiel Raiford |
| From | Georgetown, Georgetown County, South Carolina |
| Birth Date | May 13, 1929 |
| Casualty Date | October 25, 1944 |
| War | World War II |
| Service Branch | Navy |
| Rank | Enlisted |
| Specialty | Cook Second Class |
| Unit/Group | USS Tang (SS-306) |
| Casualty Type | Missing in action, Lost at sea, Sunk by circular run of own torpedo |
| Location | Formosa Strait near Turnabout Island |
| Burial | Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Philippines |
| Notable Awards |
★ Purple Heart |
| Remembered | 
Rubin MacNiel Raiford is buried or memorialized at Tablets of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Philippines. This is an American Battle Monuments Commission location. |
Additional Details
Rubin MacNiel Raiford was underage, 13 years old, when he enlisted in the US Navy. In fact was just 15 years old at the time of his death while serving on the USS Tang.Auto-Generated Profile Synopsis - Rubin MacNiel Raiford was serving his country during World War II when he gave his all in the line of duty. He had enlisted in the United States Navy. Raiford had the rank of Enlisted. His military occupation or specialty was Cook Second Class. Service number assignment was 5757614. Attached to USS Tang (SS-306). He was born on May 13, 1929. According to our records South Carolina was his home or enlistment state and Georgetown county has been included within the archival record. We have Georgetown listed as his city. During his service in World War II, Navy Raiford was reported missing and ultimately declared dead on October 25, 1944. Recorded circumstances attributed to: Missing in action, Lost at sea, Sunk by circular run of own torpedo. Incident location: Formosa Strait near Turnabout Island. |
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.
★ Purple Heart
★ Combat Action Ribbon
★ World War II Victory Medal
★ American Campaign Medal
★ Navy Presidential Unit Citation
★ Navy Good Conduct Medal
★ Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal
★ Navy Expeditionary Medal
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.South Carolina Gold Star Veterans Gallery
Honoring the men and women of South Carolina 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.
South Carolina was home to over 4,161 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
South Carolina was home to over 4,161 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
• 1,091 World War I
• 1,672 World War II
• 502 Korean War
• 896 Vietnam War
• 105 Prisoners of war
• 1,021 Missing in action
• 19 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 47 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 11 Medal of Honor recipients
• 1,672 World War II
• 502 Korean War
• 896 Vietnam War
• 105 Prisoners of war
• 1,021 Missing in action
• 19 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 47 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 11 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
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▼ 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!
National D-Day Memorial
Dedicated on June 6th, 2001 by president George W. Bush, the National D-Day Memorial was constructed in honor of those who died that day, fighting in one of the most significant battles in our nations history.
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Mary - Thank you for remembering these men. I am certainly proud to share this with my family. We have many ancestors who served.
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