Orvel served as a Staff Sergeant on B-17G (#42-31683), 20th Bomber Squadron, 2nd Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Oklahoma prior to the war.
Orvel was "Killed In Action" when his B-17 collided with B-17G (#42-31851) during a bombing mission over Sofia, Bulgaria during the war. and was awarded a Purple Heart.
He was originally interred overseas and was later repatriated here on August 18, 1949.
Service # 38270647
Airmen who perished on B-17G (#42-31683):
Barrow, Alvin G ~ Sgt, Texas
Buechner, Orvel W ~ S/Sgt, Oklahoma
Corbin, William F ~ S/Sgt, West Virginia
Gilbert, Richard A ~ S/Sgt, Pennsylvania
Maddox, Marion J, Sgt ~ Tennessee
Meyer, Harold A, Jr ~ 2nd Lt, Massachusetts
Mitchell, William E ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, (state unknown)
Rigney, Leroy P ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, New Hampshire
Vavrik, William J ~ 2nd Lt, Illinois
Victor, Peter A ~ Sgt, New York
For airmen who perished on B-17G (#42-31851) see:
Wickham, Fred O, Jr ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, Virginia
( Bio & Crew Reports by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Staff Sergeant Orvel W. BUECHNER, Air Corps, reported missing in action on March 30, 1944, was declared dead by the war department on Aug. 14, 1945. Sgt. BUECHNER is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. A. BUECHNER, Booker, and has two brothers, George and Gene, and two sisters, Mrs. R. E. CRAMER and Mrs. W. V. MORRIS.
His parents received a letter dated Aug. 14 from the adjutant general’s office, war department. The following is from the letter:
“Since your son, Staff Sergeant Orvel W. BUECHNER, Air Corps, was reported missing in action 30 March 1944, the War Department has entertained the hope that he survived and that information would be revealed dispelling the uncertainty surrounding his absence. However as in many cases, the conditions of warfare deny us such information.
“All available records and reports concerning the absence of your son have been carefully investigated and are deemed to warrant a subsequent reviewing of his case. The information in the hands of the War Department indicates that your son was a crew member of a B-17 (Flying Fortress) bomber which failed to return from a bombing mission over Bulgaria. While on the way in to the target, your son’s plane collided with another aircraft of the same formation. Both places disintegrated in the air and went down.
“Since no information has been received which would support a presumption of his continued survival the War Department must now terminate your son’s absence by a presumptive finding of death. Accordingly, an official finding of death has been recorded.”
The BUECHNERS came to Beaver County in July 1903, and have lived there ever since. Sgt. BUECHNER was born in Beaver County, Okla., Dec. 11, 1920. He attended grade school at Balko and Blue Mound. He took three years of his high school at Balko, and graduated from Beaver high school in 1939.
When inducted at Fort Sill, Okla., Oct. 14, 1942, he was engaged in farming with his father. He took his basic at Sheppard Field. After training at several fields, he was promoted to the grade of aerial gunner at Tyndall Field, Fla., and earned the right to wear the coveted silver wings of aerial gunner.
Ochiltree County Herald (Perryton, TX)-August 30, 1945
He resided in Oklahoma prior to the war.
Orvel was "Killed In Action" when his B-17 collided with B-17G (#42-31851) during a bombing mission over Sofia, Bulgaria during the war. and was awarded a Purple Heart.
He was originally interred overseas and was later repatriated here on August 18, 1949.
Service # 38270647
Airmen who perished on B-17G (#42-31683):
Barrow, Alvin G ~ Sgt, Texas
Buechner, Orvel W ~ S/Sgt, Oklahoma
Corbin, William F ~ S/Sgt, West Virginia
Gilbert, Richard A ~ S/Sgt, Pennsylvania
Maddox, Marion J, Sgt ~ Tennessee
Meyer, Harold A, Jr ~ 2nd Lt, Massachusetts
Mitchell, William E ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, (state unknown)
Rigney, Leroy P ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, New Hampshire
Vavrik, William J ~ 2nd Lt, Illinois
Victor, Peter A ~ Sgt, New York
For airmen who perished on B-17G (#42-31851) see:
Wickham, Fred O, Jr ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, Virginia
( Bio & Crew Reports by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Staff Sergeant Orvel W. BUECHNER, Air Corps, reported missing in action on March 30, 1944, was declared dead by the war department on Aug. 14, 1945. Sgt. BUECHNER is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. A. BUECHNER, Booker, and has two brothers, George and Gene, and two sisters, Mrs. R. E. CRAMER and Mrs. W. V. MORRIS.
His parents received a letter dated Aug. 14 from the adjutant general’s office, war department. The following is from the letter:
“Since your son, Staff Sergeant Orvel W. BUECHNER, Air Corps, was reported missing in action 30 March 1944, the War Department has entertained the hope that he survived and that information would be revealed dispelling the uncertainty surrounding his absence. However as in many cases, the conditions of warfare deny us such information.
“All available records and reports concerning the absence of your son have been carefully investigated and are deemed to warrant a subsequent reviewing of his case. The information in the hands of the War Department indicates that your son was a crew member of a B-17 (Flying Fortress) bomber which failed to return from a bombing mission over Bulgaria. While on the way in to the target, your son’s plane collided with another aircraft of the same formation. Both places disintegrated in the air and went down.
“Since no information has been received which would support a presumption of his continued survival the War Department must now terminate your son’s absence by a presumptive finding of death. Accordingly, an official finding of death has been recorded.”
The BUECHNERS came to Beaver County in July 1903, and have lived there ever since. Sgt. BUECHNER was born in Beaver County, Okla., Dec. 11, 1920. He attended grade school at Balko and Blue Mound. He took three years of his high school at Balko, and graduated from Beaver high school in 1939.
When inducted at Fort Sill, Okla., Oct. 14, 1942, he was engaged in farming with his father. He took his basic at Sheppard Field. After training at several fields, he was promoted to the grade of aerial gunner at Tyndall Field, Fla., and earned the right to wear the coveted silver wings of aerial gunner.
Ochiltree County Herald (Perryton, TX)-August 30, 1945
Orvel served as a Staff Sergeant on B-17G (#42-31683), 20th Bomber Squadron, 2nd Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Oklahoma prior to the war.
Orvel was "Killed In Action" when his B-17 collided with B-17G (#42-31851) during a bombing mission over Sofia, Bulgaria during the war. and was awarded a Purple Heart.
He was originally interred overseas and was later repatriated here on August 18, 1949.
Service # 38270647
Airmen who perished on B-17G (#42-31683):
Barrow, Alvin G ~ Sgt, Texas
Buechner, Orvel W ~ S/Sgt, Oklahoma
Corbin, William F ~ S/Sgt, West Virginia
Gilbert, Richard A ~ S/Sgt, Pennsylvania
Maddox, Marion J, Sgt ~ Tennessee
Meyer, Harold A, Jr ~ 2nd Lt, Massachusetts
Mitchell, William E ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, (state unknown)
Rigney, Leroy P ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, New Hampshire
Vavrik, William J ~ 2nd Lt, Illinois
Victor, Peter A ~ Sgt, New York
For airmen who perished on B-17G (#42-31851) see:
Wickham, Fred O, Jr ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, Virginia
( Bio & Crew Reports by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Staff Sergeant Orvel W. BUECHNER, Air Corps, reported missing in action on March 30, 1944, was declared dead by the war department on Aug. 14, 1945. Sgt. BUECHNER is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. A. BUECHNER, Booker, and has two brothers, George and Gene, and two sisters, Mrs. R. E. CRAMER and Mrs. W. V. MORRIS.
His parents received a letter dated Aug. 14 from the adjutant general’s office, war department. The following is from the letter:
“Since your son, Staff Sergeant Orvel W. BUECHNER, Air Corps, was reported missing in action 30 March 1944, the War Department has entertained the hope that he survived and that information would be revealed dispelling the uncertainty surrounding his absence. However as in many cases, the conditions of warfare deny us such information.
“All available records and reports concerning the absence of your son have been carefully investigated and are deemed to warrant a subsequent reviewing of his case. The information in the hands of the War Department indicates that your son was a crew member of a B-17 (Flying Fortress) bomber which failed to return from a bombing mission over Bulgaria. While on the way in to the target, your son’s plane collided with another aircraft of the same formation. Both places disintegrated in the air and went down.
“Since no information has been received which would support a presumption of his continued survival the War Department must now terminate your son’s absence by a presumptive finding of death. Accordingly, an official finding of death has been recorded.”
The BUECHNERS came to Beaver County in July 1903, and have lived there ever since. Sgt. BUECHNER was born in Beaver County, Okla., Dec. 11, 1920. He attended grade school at Balko and Blue Mound. He took three years of his high school at Balko, and graduated from Beaver high school in 1939.
When inducted at Fort Sill, Okla., Oct. 14, 1942, he was engaged in farming with his father. He took his basic at Sheppard Field. After training at several fields, he was promoted to the grade of aerial gunner at Tyndall Field, Fla., and earned the right to wear the coveted silver wings of aerial gunner.
Ochiltree County Herald (Perryton, TX)-August 30, 1945
He resided in Oklahoma prior to the war.
Orvel was "Killed In Action" when his B-17 collided with B-17G (#42-31851) during a bombing mission over Sofia, Bulgaria during the war. and was awarded a Purple Heart.
He was originally interred overseas and was later repatriated here on August 18, 1949.
Service # 38270647
Airmen who perished on B-17G (#42-31683):
Barrow, Alvin G ~ Sgt, Texas
Buechner, Orvel W ~ S/Sgt, Oklahoma
Corbin, William F ~ S/Sgt, West Virginia
Gilbert, Richard A ~ S/Sgt, Pennsylvania
Maddox, Marion J, Sgt ~ Tennessee
Meyer, Harold A, Jr ~ 2nd Lt, Massachusetts
Mitchell, William E ~ 2nd Lt, Navigator, (state unknown)
Rigney, Leroy P ~ 2nd Lt, Pilot, New Hampshire
Vavrik, William J ~ 2nd Lt, Illinois
Victor, Peter A ~ Sgt, New York
For airmen who perished on B-17G (#42-31851) see:
Wickham, Fred O, Jr ~ 1st Lt, Pilot, Virginia
( Bio & Crew Reports by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett )
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Staff Sergeant Orvel W. BUECHNER, Air Corps, reported missing in action on March 30, 1944, was declared dead by the war department on Aug. 14, 1945. Sgt. BUECHNER is the son of Mr. and Mrs. J. A. BUECHNER, Booker, and has two brothers, George and Gene, and two sisters, Mrs. R. E. CRAMER and Mrs. W. V. MORRIS.
His parents received a letter dated Aug. 14 from the adjutant general’s office, war department. The following is from the letter:
“Since your son, Staff Sergeant Orvel W. BUECHNER, Air Corps, was reported missing in action 30 March 1944, the War Department has entertained the hope that he survived and that information would be revealed dispelling the uncertainty surrounding his absence. However as in many cases, the conditions of warfare deny us such information.
“All available records and reports concerning the absence of your son have been carefully investigated and are deemed to warrant a subsequent reviewing of his case. The information in the hands of the War Department indicates that your son was a crew member of a B-17 (Flying Fortress) bomber which failed to return from a bombing mission over Bulgaria. While on the way in to the target, your son’s plane collided with another aircraft of the same formation. Both places disintegrated in the air and went down.
“Since no information has been received which would support a presumption of his continued survival the War Department must now terminate your son’s absence by a presumptive finding of death. Accordingly, an official finding of death has been recorded.”
The BUECHNERS came to Beaver County in July 1903, and have lived there ever since. Sgt. BUECHNER was born in Beaver County, Okla., Dec. 11, 1920. He attended grade school at Balko and Blue Mound. He took three years of his high school at Balko, and graduated from Beaver high school in 1939.
When inducted at Fort Sill, Okla., Oct. 14, 1942, he was engaged in farming with his father. He took his basic at Sheppard Field. After training at several fields, he was promoted to the grade of aerial gunner at Tyndall Field, Fla., and earned the right to wear the coveted silver wings of aerial gunner.
Ochiltree County Herald (Perryton, TX)-August 30, 1945
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SSGT, US ARMY AIR FORCES WORLD WAR II
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