1st Lt Raymond G. Schmitz graduated from St George Gigh School in 1937.
He enlisted in Chicago, Illinois on 23 April 1941. He was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in 1942 and promoted to 1st Lieutenant in August 1943. He went overseas in November 1943.
He died from the concussion of exploding ammunition that was loaded on a burning truck.
Lt. Raymond G. Schmitz is also remembered at the Saint Mary's Cemetery in Northbrook, Illinois.
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Prior to Lt. Schmitz's tragic death, he was the subject of a humorous incident. Along with other members of the legendary Easy Company of paratroop infantrymen, platoon leader Schmitz was in England awaiting the Army's imminent D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944.
Major. Dick Winters, then a fellow 1st Lt. & platoon leader, described how "the tension finally got to Lt. Raymond Schmitz [who] in civilian life had been a boxer of some distinction. To break the tension, Schmitz asked me to box him. I was no idiot and said, 'No, thanks.' During the afternoon he kept up the same baiting challenge and I continued giving him the same reply. Finally, Schmitz said, 'Let's wrestle.'
Since Winters had wrestled in college, the match ended very quickly with Lt. Schmitz "going to the hospital with two cracked vertebra," causing him to miss the jump into France on D-Day. But for the rest of that day, Winters remembered a constant stream of requests from fellow soldiers, nervous about jumping into combat for the very first time, "asking me with a smile on their face, 'Will you break my arm for five dollars?'
Source: "Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters" (2006, Berkley Caliber Books, pps. 70-71)
--Marc Wallace #47313649
He enlisted in Chicago, Illinois on 23 April 1941. He was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in 1942 and promoted to 1st Lieutenant in August 1943. He went overseas in November 1943.
He died from the concussion of exploding ammunition that was loaded on a burning truck.
Lt. Raymond G. Schmitz is also remembered at the Saint Mary's Cemetery in Northbrook, Illinois.
----
Prior to Lt. Schmitz's tragic death, he was the subject of a humorous incident. Along with other members of the legendary Easy Company of paratroop infantrymen, platoon leader Schmitz was in England awaiting the Army's imminent D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944.
Major. Dick Winters, then a fellow 1st Lt. & platoon leader, described how "the tension finally got to Lt. Raymond Schmitz [who] in civilian life had been a boxer of some distinction. To break the tension, Schmitz asked me to box him. I was no idiot and said, 'No, thanks.' During the afternoon he kept up the same baiting challenge and I continued giving him the same reply. Finally, Schmitz said, 'Let's wrestle.'
Since Winters had wrestled in college, the match ended very quickly with Lt. Schmitz "going to the hospital with two cracked vertebra," causing him to miss the jump into France on D-Day. But for the rest of that day, Winters remembered a constant stream of requests from fellow soldiers, nervous about jumping into combat for the very first time, "asking me with a smile on their face, 'Will you break my arm for five dollars?'
Source: "Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters" (2006, Berkley Caliber Books, pps. 70-71)
--Marc Wallace #47313649
1st Lt Raymond G. Schmitz graduated from St George Gigh School in 1937.
He enlisted in Chicago, Illinois on 23 April 1941. He was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in 1942 and promoted to 1st Lieutenant in August 1943. He went overseas in November 1943.
He died from the concussion of exploding ammunition that was loaded on a burning truck.
Lt. Raymond G. Schmitz is also remembered at the Saint Mary's Cemetery in Northbrook, Illinois.
----
Prior to Lt. Schmitz's tragic death, he was the subject of a humorous incident. Along with other members of the legendary Easy Company of paratroop infantrymen, platoon leader Schmitz was in England awaiting the Army's imminent D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944.
Major. Dick Winters, then a fellow 1st Lt. & platoon leader, described how "the tension finally got to Lt. Raymond Schmitz [who] in civilian life had been a boxer of some distinction. To break the tension, Schmitz asked me to box him. I was no idiot and said, 'No, thanks.' During the afternoon he kept up the same baiting challenge and I continued giving him the same reply. Finally, Schmitz said, 'Let's wrestle.'
Since Winters had wrestled in college, the match ended very quickly with Lt. Schmitz "going to the hospital with two cracked vertebra," causing him to miss the jump into France on D-Day. But for the rest of that day, Winters remembered a constant stream of requests from fellow soldiers, nervous about jumping into combat for the very first time, "asking me with a smile on their face, 'Will you break my arm for five dollars?'
Source: "Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters" (2006, Berkley Caliber Books, pps. 70-71)
--Marc Wallace #47313649
He enlisted in Chicago, Illinois on 23 April 1941. He was commissioned a 2nd lieutenant in 1942 and promoted to 1st Lieutenant in August 1943. He went overseas in November 1943.
He died from the concussion of exploding ammunition that was loaded on a burning truck.
Lt. Raymond G. Schmitz is also remembered at the Saint Mary's Cemetery in Northbrook, Illinois.
----
Prior to Lt. Schmitz's tragic death, he was the subject of a humorous incident. Along with other members of the legendary Easy Company of paratroop infantrymen, platoon leader Schmitz was in England awaiting the Army's imminent D-Day invasion of June 6, 1944.
Major. Dick Winters, then a fellow 1st Lt. & platoon leader, described how "the tension finally got to Lt. Raymond Schmitz [who] in civilian life had been a boxer of some distinction. To break the tension, Schmitz asked me to box him. I was no idiot and said, 'No, thanks.' During the afternoon he kept up the same baiting challenge and I continued giving him the same reply. Finally, Schmitz said, 'Let's wrestle.'
Since Winters had wrestled in college, the match ended very quickly with Lt. Schmitz "going to the hospital with two cracked vertebra," causing him to miss the jump into France on D-Day. But for the rest of that day, Winters remembered a constant stream of requests from fellow soldiers, nervous about jumping into combat for the very first time, "asking me with a smile on their face, 'Will you break my arm for five dollars?'
Source: "Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters" (2006, Berkley Caliber Books, pps. 70-71)
--Marc Wallace #47313649
Inscription
RAYMOND G. SCHMITZ 1 LT. 506. PRCHT. INF. 101. ABN. DIV. ILLINOIS. SEPT 22 1944
Gravesite Details
Entered the service from Illinois.
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