2nd Lt. Gilbert A. Rauh - Continued

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On December 1, 1943, Gibby departed on what would become his tenth mission, targeting the Insein Rail Yards near Rangoon, Burma. Unknown to the American aircrews, Japanese fighter and antiaircraft defenses had been dramatically reinforced during the preceding days. After bombs away, Apocalypse was struck by antiaircraft fire and fell behind the formation. Witnesses watched as the damaged bomber disappeared into a cloud bank pursued by three Japanese fighters. It was never seen again. For more than eighty years, Gilbert Rauh and his crew were listed as Missing in Action, their names engraved on the Tablets of the Missing at the Manila American Cemetery and Memorial. Later research—including Japanese combat records and eyewitness accounts—revealed that the crippled bomber had been relentlessly attacked until it was destroyed, bringing to an end the lives of Gibby and his fellow crewmen.

For most families, that would have been the end of the story. It was not the end of Gilbert Rauh's. Decades later, painstaking historical research, archaeological investigation, and modern forensic science led to the recovery and identification of eight members of the crew, including Gibby. After an eighty-year journey that carried him from a remote village grave in Burma through recovery, identification, and military honors, Gilbert Rauh finally came home. In July 2025, the nation fulfilled its promise to leave no one behind when Second Lieutenant Gilbert A. Rauh was laid to rest with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. His extraordinary journey—from a young farm boy in New York to a missing airman, and finally home after eight decades—stands as one of the most remarkable stories of sacrifice, remembrance, and national commitment to emerge from World War II..

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