RAYMOND A. MOORE, LT, USN

Raymond Moore '37

Date of birth: April 27, 1913

Date of death: June 4, 1942

Age: 29

Lucky Bag

From the 1937 Lucky Bag:

RAYMOND AUSTIN MOORE

Weldon, North Carolina

"Ray" "Moose" "Muscles"

Formation for the first infantry drill caught Moose with eight leggins all for the same leg. A valet might partially solve R. Austin's endless problem of "where is it now?" Distinguished for humorous satire and jovial banter, he aspires to oration. With garrulous pride, he volunteers enlightenment concerning his pompous ability and mythical accomplishments. Academics worry Ray only momentarily. Unaware of your presence, he is buried in anything from classical philosophy to radical radio speeches. Numerous friends prove Ray's informal temperament.

Boxing 4. One Stripe.

RAYMOND AUSTIN MOORE

Weldon, North Carolina

"Ray" "Moose" "Muscles"

Formation for the first infantry drill caught Moose with eight leggins all for the same leg. A valet might partially solve R. Austin's endless problem of "where is it now?" Distinguished for humorous satire and jovial banter, he aspires to oration. With garrulous pride, he volunteers enlightenment concerning his pompous ability and mythical accomplishments. Academics worry Ray only momentarily. Unaware of your presence, he is buried in anything from classical philosophy to radical radio speeches. Numerous friends prove Ray's informal temperament.

Boxing 4. One Stripe.

Loss

Raymond was killed in action on June 4, 1942 during a strike on the Japanese fleet at the Battle of Midway.

Other Information

From Military Hall of Honor:

Raymond Austin "Moose" Moore was the son of Lewis Jackson "Jake" Moore and Anna Viola Gaver who were married about 1911. Raymond's siblings were Lewis Jackson Jr., Dorothy Anna, George Thomas, and Ralph Gaver Moore. Anna died in Oct 1922 of complications from childbirth. Between 28 Jun 1923 - 20 July 1923, the three youngest Moore children, Dorothy, George and Ralph, died. Dorothy died from Sepsis after an operation, George died from Pertussis (Whooping Cough) and baby Ralph died of Toxemia - Myocarditis, Whooping Cough and Measles. Lewis Sr. married Rosa M Talley about 1925. Records indicate that Rosa was a nurse in 1922 and she lived in Richmond City, VA. They were the parents of least two children who were Wilford Holton and Gloria Lane Moore. Raymond married June Anita Haugen 15 Sept 1939 in Pensacola, Escambia, FL. Raymond and June had one child, Donald Haugen Moore b. August 1940 in San Diego County, CA. After Raymond's death at Midway, June married Robert Huffman about 1950. They had a son, Mark. On 22 Dec 1962 June married Bjarne Thor Bjornstad in Seattle, WA. They were married for almost 40 years. She died 11 Feb 2005 in Washington state.
Moore enlisted in the US Navy as an Apprentice Seaman (AS) abt 1931. After he completed recruit training he worked his way from the fleet into Annapolis. He entered the US Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD on 6 July 1933 with an at large selection. With his class Moore graduated with a commission as an Ensign, USN, on 3 Jun 1937. His first sea duty assignment began on 30 Jun 1937 and was onboard the battleship USS Idaho (BB-42) stationed in the Pacific. He was detached from that tour in early Jun 1939. He began his aviation training in Pensacola on 27 Jun 1939. He was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade (Ltjg) on 3 Jun 1940 and on 20 June 1940 he was designated naval aviator #6502. He was detached from NAS Pensacola and reported for additional training to the Fleet Air Detachment (FAD) in San Diego, CA for duty involving flying on 8 Aug 1940. He completed training with the FAD, Moore was probably assigned to squadron duty. It is unknown what squadron he was assigned to but it was almost certainly a squadron located in San Diego.
In May of 1941, Moore's wife, June, with their 8 month old son, Donald, boarded the S.S. Matsonia in Los Angeles enroute Honolulu. They arrived in Honolulu on 28 May 1941. Their arrival was also reported in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin of the same date. Later that summer, Ltjg Raymond A. Moore, his wife June and their son Donald H. Moore and a large number of other officers, enlisted personnel and family members embarked on the USS Wharton (AP-7) and sailed from Pearl Harbor to San Francisco on 15 Aug 1941. According to the Honolulu Star-Bulletin of 16 Aug 1941, Mrs Raymond A Moore, wife of Ensign (sic) Moore, and their young son, Donald, sailed for mainland visits. No mention that Ltjg Moore was also returning. He may have been returning to the mainland to make his way to a new assignment with Torpedo Squadron Eight (VT-8) in Norfolk, VA. However, there is no firm evidence of that as yet. The exact date of his reporting to VT-8 is unknown.
Moore whose nose earned him the nickname of "Moose," was gunnery and engineering officer with VT-8, jobs that should have been assigned to two men had there been two available to do them. Moose was a natural teacher so he was assigned by the CO to give frequent lectures to the men. He was promoted on 2 Jan 1942 to the rank of Lieutenant.
After four months of shake-down training off the US East Coast and the Caribbean, USS Hornet (CV-8) with her embarked squadrons, steamed on 04 Mar 1942 for San Diego via the Panama Canal. San Diego was to be her new home port. Shortly after arriving in San Diego, Hornet was underway again and arrived at NAS Alameda on 20 March 1942 where she loaded 16 B-25s on to her flight deck. On 18 April 1942, the Hornet launched those same B-25s under the command of Ltcol. Jimmie Doolittle in the first attack by American forces against the Japanese homeland during WWII. After the attack, Hornet returned to Hawaii to refuel/rearm and then with the carrier Enterprise (CV-6) were ordered to the South Pacific to assist the carriers USS Lexington (CV-2) and USS Yorktown (CV-5) in the battle of the Coral Sea. Unfortunately, Hornet and Enterprise arrived too late to be a factor in the battle. Assigned to other short-term duties, Hornet arrived back in Pearl Harbor on 26 May. On 28 May 1942 Hornet and Enterprise got underway and headed toward Midway and "Point Luck." The Yorktown followed some hours later from Pearl Harbor.
Early on the morning of 4 Jun 1942, the Hornet Air Group, consisting of 59 aircraft, took off from her flight deck to attack the Japanese Striking Force. Of the 59 aircraft sent to attack the Japanese carriers, only Torpedo Squadron Eight's 15 Devastator torpedo planes found their targets. Attacking without protecting fighter cover VT-8 was overwhelmed by superior numbers of Japanese fighter aircraft and anti aircraft fire, but they continued their attack profiles until one by one they were shot down. Lt Raymond Moore and his gunner/radioman, ARM1 Tom H. Pettry did not return. Their remains were unrecoverable. According to the Hornet's Midway battle after action report dated 13 Jun 1942 they were listed as "missing in action." In that report Rear Admiral (Select) Mitscher, Hornet CO, nominated each member of Torpedo Eight who flew into battle on 4 Jun 1942 for the Congressional Medal of Honor. Lt Moore was presumed dead on 05 Jun 1943. Lt Raymond A Moore was posthumously awarded the Navy Cross Medal, Purple Heart Medal, Presidential Unit Citation Ribbon, American Defense Service Medal, American Campaign Medal, Asiatic-Pacific Medal with one bronze battle star, and the World War II Victory Medal.

He also has a Find A Grave entry here.

His wife was listed as next of kin.

Photographs

From Military Hall of Honor.

Career

Ray was promoted to LTJG on June 3, 1940; on June 20, 1940 he was designated naval aviator #6502. He was promoted to LT on January 2, 1942. He was the engineering officer for Torpedo Squadron (VT) 8 when he was killed in action. (Information from Richard Leonard, naval aviation historian.)

Navy Cross

From Hall of Valor:

The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Raymond Austin Moore (NSN: 0-78636), United States Naval Reserve, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Pilot of a carrier-based Navy Torpedo Plane of Torpedo Squadron EIGHT (VT-8), attached to the U.S.S. HORNET (CV-8), during the "Air Battle of Midway," against enemy Japanese forces on 4 June 1942. Grimly aware of the hazardous consequences of flying without fighter protection, and with insufficient fuel to return to his carrier, Lieutenant Moore resolutely, and with no thought of his own life, delivered an effective torpedo attack against violent assaults of enemy Japanese aircraft fire. His courageous action, carried out with a gallant spirit of self-sacrifice and a conscientious devotion to the fulfillment of his mission, was a determining factor in the defeat of the enemy forces and was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service. He gallantly gave his life for his country.
Action Date: June 4, 1942
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant
Company: Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8)
Division: U.S.S. Hornet (CV-8)

Navy Directories & Officer Registers

The "Register of Commissioned and Warrant Officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps" was published annually from 1815 through at least the 1970s; it provided rank, command or station, and occasionally billet until the beginning of World War II when command/station was no longer included. Scanned copies were reviewed and data entered from the mid-1840s through 1922, when more-frequent Navy Directories were available.

The Navy Directory was a publication that provided information on the command, billet, and rank of every active and retired naval officer. Single editions have been found online from January 1915 and March 1918, and then from three to six editions per year from 1923 through 1940; the final edition is from April 1941.

The entries in both series of documents are sometimes cryptic and confusing. They are often inconsistent, even within an edition, with the name of commands; this is especially true for aviation squadrons in the 1920s and early 1930s.

Alumni listed at the same command may or may not have had significant interactions; they could have shared a stateroom or workspace, stood many hours of watch together… or, especially at the larger commands, they might not have known each other at all. The information provides the opportunity to draw connections that are otherwise invisible, though, and gives a fuller view of the professional experiences of these alumni in Memorial Hall.