Always Remember Those Who Gave All: MC WW2 Gold Stars and MIA Survivors

Oscar Rankin Proffitt (1923-1944)

MC Class: ex-1945

Years at MC: 1941-1943 (Freshman and Sophomore)

Hometown: Maryville, TN

Life at MC: Men's Glee Club (Freshman), Football Team (Freshman)

Military Branch: US Army Air Forces

Military Unit: 347th Bomber Squadron, 99th Bombardment Group (Heavy)

Rank: Sergeant (Nose Gunner)

Medals Awarded: Air Medal, Purple Heart

Date Missing: 7 November 1944

Date of Death: 7 November 1945 (declared deceased)

Location of Death: Near Maribor, Yugoslavia (now Slovenia)

Circumstances of Death: Following a mission to bomb a railroad year in Maribor, Yugoslavia, German anti-aircraft fire shot down his plane. All eleven crew members were able to bail out but three, including Oscar Rankin Proffitt, were found dead in their parachutes by local members of the underground resistance. Of the remaining 8 crew members, four became prisoners of war (POWs) and four safely returned to Allied lines. (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56313397/oscar-rankin-proffitt).

Burial/Memorial Information: Plot C, Row 9, Grave 43, Sicily-Rome American Cemetery and Memorial, Nettuno, Città Metropolitana di Roma Capitale, Lazio, Italy (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/56313397/oscar-rankin-proffitt and https://www.abmc.gov/decedent-search/proffitt%3Doscar) and and memorial: East Tennessee Veterans Memorial, World's Fair Park, Knoxville, Tennessee (https://etvma.org/veterans/oscar-r-proffitt-7350/).

Additional Information: Additional details of his service can be found on his Findagrave.com entry.

Additional Images:

1942 Football Team Guards (Oscar Rankin Proffitt is second from left)

1945 Newspaper Clipping announcing Oscar Rankin Proffitt's death