George Reinheimer

George Eugene Reinheimer

Technical Sergeant U.S. Army Air Corps

17 April 1943 12 October 1945

George was born on 2 June 1924 in Palmerton, Pennsylvania. He attended grade school in Walnutport, Pennsylvania, from 1930 to 1938, and graduated from high school in Slatington, Pennsylvania, in 1942. He worked for three months at Trojan Powder Company in Allentown, Pennsylvania, prior to entering the Service.

George was drafted into the Army Air Corps as a Private in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on 17 April 1943. He underwent basic training in Greensboro, North Carolina, and then attended Airplane Mechanic School for the B-24 Aircraft at Keesler Field in Mississippi. After that George attended Aerial Gunnery School in Laredo, Texas, and received his Air Crew Member Wings in May 1944. He was then assigned to a B-24 for crew combat training at Davis-Monthan Field in Tucson, Arizona, after which he was reassigned to the 15th Air Force, 759th Bomb Squadron, in Cerignola, Italy, in July 1944.

During the period July 1944 to February 1945, George flew on 50 combat missions as a Flight Engineer/Gunner, including several missions against the infamous Ploesti Oil Refineries in Romania. He also participated in the campaigns and battles of Rome-Arno; Northern Apennines; Southern France; Rhineland; and Air Combat Balkans. In July 1944 he was promoted to Technical Sergeant.

In March 1945, George returned to the States where he attended B-29 Electric Mechanic School at Chanute Field in Illinois, after which he was ordered to Maxwell Field in Alabama to work on B-29s and to undergo formal training as a Flight Engineer. World War II ended prior to his completing Flight Engineer School, and George was discharged at Maxwell Field on 12 October 1945.

In addition to his Air Crew Member Wings and the Air Medal, George earned the European Theater Medal with 5 bronze stars and the Good Conduct Medal for his active wartime service. After his discharge, he returned to Walnutport and continued to serve in the Air Force Reserves and the Pennsylvania Air National Guard until 1952. He was temporarily recalled to active duty for six weeks during the Korean War.

He attended Allentown Business School from 1945 to 1946 and the University of Chicago in Illinois from 1946 to 1948, where he majored in Accounting and Business Administration. He went to work for Arbogast & Bastian meat processing plant (19491952) in Allentown as a Cost Accountant; Northampton County Board of Election (19521956) as Board Secretary and Chief Voter Registrar; Packaging Corporation of America (19571989) in Trexlertown, Pennsylvania, as Office Manager and Production Control Manager.

He retired from full-time employment in 1989 and became a part-time consultant. George was a Boy Scout and served as a Scoutmaster. He became a charter and life-long member of VFW Post 7215 in Walnutport where he served as Post Commander from 1948 to 1949.

He married Verna Isabel Grim (born 14 June 1924) on 23 May 1953. George and Verna lived in Walnutport until 1956, when they moved to Schnecksville, Pennsylvania. In 1960 they relocated to South Whitehall, Pennsylvania, for 40 years prior to settling in Lower Macungie Township. Georges parents were Sylvester Eugene Reinheimer (15 January 1905 28 December 1982) and Alverta Emma Andrews (9 August 1903 29 November 1985).

http://lmths.org/programs/veterans/reinheimer_george_eugene.pdf

T/Sgt. George E Reinheimer was assigned to the 459th BG 759th Squadron.
Military Occupational Specialty (MOS): Engineer/Gunner.

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