Raymond Oates Boggess (1912-1943)

Raymond Oates Boggess

Son of Arthur Haise Boggess & Magnolia Elizabeth Oates

Raymond Oates Boggess was born December 19, 1912 in Pottsville, Pope County, Arkansas.  He was the youngest of eight children born to Arthur Haise Boggess and Magnolia Elizabeth Oates.  Raymond grew up on the family farm in Galla Creek in Pope County.  He labored on the farm while his father worked at the general store.  He was living with his family in 1930.

When he was about 30 years old, Raymond enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 24, 1942.  He was not married when he enlisted.  He had one year of college education and his Civil Occupation was that of a Blaster or Powderman.  He was 5’ 10” tall and slender, weighing in at 157 pounds.  He was a Private in the 161^st Infantry 25^th Division. 

Following is an excerpt from “A Brief History of the 25^th Infantry Division”:

   On 3 August 1942 the 298th Infantry Regiment was replaced by the 161st Infantry Regiment of the Washington National Guard which had been in route to the Philippine Islands when the Japanese attacked and was diverted to Hawaii. In November 1942 the Division underwent intensive jungle and amphibious warfare training and sailed for Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands to relieve the 1st Marine Division. The 25th operating as part of the XIV Corps commenced offensive operations against the Japanese on 7 January 1943. In less than a month and against a determined enemy who offered fierce resistance the 25th Division wiped out the Japanese dug in on Mount Austin and conducted an envelopment through the jungle to cut off retreating Japanese forces. For its valor on Mount Austin the 35th Infantry Regimental Combat Team consisting of the 35th Infantry Regiment, the 64th Field Artillery Battalion and the 25th Reconnaissance Troop was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation. The operations of the 25th Division on Guadalcanal were impressive, earning it the nickname of "Tropic Lightning".

Raymond Oates Boggess was killed on January 27, 1943 in the conflict at Guadalcanal.  He was 30 years old at his death.

Raymond’s awards included the Bronze Star and the Purple Heart Medals.  He is buried in the National Memorial Cemetery of The Pacific, located at 2177 Puowaina Drive Honolulu, HI 96813.  His burial plot is located in Section E, Site 295.

Notes for Raymond Oates Boggess

Birth, Residence and Occupation in 1930: Year: 1930; Census Place: Pottsville, Pope, Arkansas; Roll: 89; Page: 1A; Enumeration District: 11; Image: 706.0.

Army Enlistment Date, Physical Description, Marital Status, Civil Occupation, Education:  National Archives and Records Administration. U.S. World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005. Original data: Electronic Army Serial Number Merged File, 1938-1946 [Archival Database]; World War II Army Enlistment Records; Records of the National Archives and Records Administration, Record Group 64; National Archives at College Park, College Park, MD.

Information Regarding the 161^st Infantry 25^th Division:  25^th infantry Division Association Website, http://www.25thida.com/division.html (browsed 28 January 2007)

Death, Awards, Rank, Division, Burial:  National Archives and Records Administration. World War II and Korean Conflict Veterans Interred Overseas [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2000. Original data: National Archives and Records Administration. Register, World War II Dead Interred in American Military Cemeteries on Foreign Soil and World War II and Korea Missing or Lost or Buried at Sea. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. AND Ancestry.com. WWI, WWII, and Korean War Casualty Listings [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2005. Original data: American Battle Monuments Commission. World War I Listing; World War II Listing; Korean War Listing. American Battle Monuments Commission.

Cemetery:  National Cemetery Administration. U.S. Veterans Cemeteries, ca.1800-2006                 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006. Original data: National Cemetery Administration. Nationwide Gravesite Locator.