SSGT Raymond P. Ruhling

Today we honor and remember SSGT Raymond P. Ruhling of the 101st Airborne Division.

Photo retouching and enhancement by Ellen Marchese.

Staff Sergeant (SSGT) Raymond Perry Ruhling of HQ Service Battery, 321st Glider Field Artillery Battalion (GFAB), was born in Painesville, Lake County, Ohio, to Perry J. and Mary L. (Babcock) Ruhling on April 16, 1914. He had one older sister, Esther L. (Ruhling) Eldridge.

Raymond’s family later moved to Ashtabula, Ashtabula County, Ohio, and he attended grade school there. After about nine years, they returned to Painesville, and Raymond attended Harvey High School, which was dedicated to Thomas W. Harvey in 1922.

Raymond was particularly fond of playing the drums and was well known in Lake County through his appearance several times weekly with various orchestras. Having a great enthusiasm for music, he “picked up” the saxophone playing. For his amusement, he and several schoolmates formed a “jug band,” which was sought by many clubs for appearances on their programs.

Raymond also belonged to the Junior North American Manx Association of Northeastern Ohio, where he once played in the Northeastern Ohio Manx Orchestra.

After graduating from high school in 1932, he operated a Sinclair gas station in Painesville but later went into partnership with his father in the produce business. For a short time before entering military service, he was a letter carrier.

Raymond enlisted in the U.S. Army at Camp Perry, Lacarne, Ohio, a facility located on the shore of Lake Erie near Port Clinton, on March 24, 1942. He started with basic training at Camp Claiborne, Louisiana, and was then assigned to the heavy artillery of the 82nd Infantry Division. He stayed there until September 1942, when he was transferred to the 101st Airborne Division and was sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina. There he underwent basic training in gliders.

Going overseas in September 1943 on the SS Samaria, he first was stationed in England and was there until participating in action on D-day and the subsequent combat actions in Normandy. He returned to England on July 13, 1944, and spent a six-day furlough in London, as of July 18th. His second combat mission started on September 17th, when the gliders of the 321st took off from an English airfield. SSGT Ruhling was inserted into the Netherlands, taking part in Operation Market Garden.

At the end of November, he was sent to Mourmelon, France, for a rest and recuperation period. When the German offensive started, commonly known as the Battle of the Bulge, he was rushed to Bastogne, arriving in the town on December 19, 1944.

SSGT Raymond Ruhling was Killed in Action when he was seriously wounded to his head on January 10, 1945. Another Screaming Eagle had soared to the ultimate height. 🦅

Of course, his parents eagerly follow the news and the broadcasts, particularly the activities of the 101st Airborne Division, and would recall later that the Yank Magazine reported of the Nazis back being driven back by the Allied forces about the time of their son's reported death.

The news came as more of a shock to the family because they had just received a letter dated January 4th. At the time, a member of the family said,

“He had been through so much and we had been worried. His last letter reassured us of his safety [as the family thought the Battle of the Bulge had ended] and for the first time, we breathed just a little easier. It seems odd that he should get it now after he had come through so much.”

SSGT Raymond Ruhling died at the age of 30. He was posthumously awarded a Purple Heart Medal. He was first buried at the temporary military cemetery of Grand Failly, France, at Plot I, Row 7, Grave 163. He would be reburied at Evergreen Cemetery at his hometown Painesville, after arriving home in December 1948. May he rest in peace.

Happy Birthday in Heaven, Raymond.

Lest we forget. 🇺🇸

The sources used for this article are known to the author and available on request.