Name:
Grady Monroe Shelton
Rank:
Staff Sergeant
Serial Number:
34775058
Unit:
380th Bombardment Squadron (Medium), 310th Bombardment Group (Medium)
Date of Death:
1945-04-04
State:
North Carolina
Cemetery:
Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia
Plot:
Sec: 34, Site: 4664
Row:
Grave:
Decoration:
Comments:
Grady Monroe Shelton was born on September 24, 1924 and was from North Carolina. He was a crew member (Turret Gunner) on the B-25 (43- 27737) “OKLAHOMA BETSIE”, of the 380th Bomber Squadron, 310th Bomber Group, 57th Bomber Wing, when it crashed on April 4, 1945. “Oklahoma Betsie was part of a 12-plane raid to bomb the railroad bridge at Oberdrauburg, Austria. On the return trip, “Oklahoma Betsie” collided with another B-25 (43-27552) “Pretzel”. “Pretzel” crashed immediately with complete loss of life near Monte Zocolan. Three crew members of “Oklahoma Betsie” perished and four became POWs when it crashed nearby in Lovea. A marker near Lovea remembers the crash site of “Oklahoma Betsie. Shelton was killed when the plane crashed.