Warbird Information Exchange

Belgian ‘godfather’ cares for Monroe World War II fighter pilot’s grave

By Ray Kisonas Monday, February 16, 2015, 12:00 p.m. photo -Monroe News photo by TOM HAWLEY

Theresa Balk talks to her brother Ray Soleau who was killed in World War II. First Lt. Raymond H. Soleau, a World War II fighter pilot who grew up with his six siblings on W. Fifth St., was on a strafing mission over Germany when he was hit by enemy fire.

“I may have to set this ship down,” he radioed to his wingman as the members of the 55th Fighter Squadron flew on their mission over the Stendal region of Germany, west of Berlin.

That was the last anyone heard from Lt. Soleau. His Mustang crashed into a farm field 70 years ago this month. He was declared missing in action until three years later when a farmer plowing his land with machinery struck the wreckage that lay hidden beneath the soil.

Lt. Soleau’s remains were interred in the Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial in Leige, Belgium, where many victims of the Battle of the Bulge were laid to rest. Today, seven decades later, his gravesite is tended to by Didier Dradon, a Belgian man who felt it was his duty to look after American graves.

“We owe them that much for what they did for us during World War II,” Mr. Dradon said in French in an e-mail sent to The Monroe News. “We honor them by visiting the grave several times a year and placing flowers there each time … in order to never forget the sacrifice of these soldiers for our freedom.

Theresa Balk talks to her brother Ray Soleau who was killed in World War II. More than 4,000 miles away in the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Health Care Center on W. Elm Ave., Lt. Soleau’s sister, Theresa Balk, said she was pleased that members of a European community care enough to watch over her brother’s gravesite.

“That’s wonderful,” said Mrs. Balk, who will turn 97 soon. “It’s very, very satisfying.”

In addition to Mrs. Balk, two other siblings survive Lt. Soleau: Marie DeSloover, 94, of Monroe and Jim Soleau, who will be 91 at the end of the month. A retired chief of the Monroe Fire Department, Mr. Soleau has lived in Spring Hills, Fla., for more than 30 years.

He was in the Navy during WWII and was heading out to sea from Norfolk, Va., aboard the USS Guadalcanal when he received word that his brother was missing.

“We used to fish together on Lake Erie,” Mr. Soleau said. “ We were all pretty close.”

The seven Soleau children were raised Catholic by strict but fair parents. Four boys served in WWII and one served in the Korean War. Mrs. Balk was an accomplished pilot back then and served in the Civil Air Patrol. She described her younger brother, Raymond, as being fun and carefree.

“He had a wonderful sense of humor,” Mrs. Balk said. “He was the center of attention.”

She believes that after his P51 was struck by enemy fire, the damage was not severe enough to prevent him from heading back to England.

She theorized that his plane was hit again because the aircraft went straight down and burrowed beneath the surface of that farm field, which is why he wasn’t found for three years. She believes that second hit was devastating.

“He was a good pilot,” Mrs. Balk said. “He could have made it back to England.”

Thousands of Americans lost in the war are buried in overseas cemeteries. In Belgium, many residents sponsor or adopt the graves of American servicemen. They call themselves godfathers or godmothers of the sites.

The Belgians also celebrate a Memorial Day to honor the Americans buried in their cemeteries.

Mr. Dradon’s friend, Henri Hannon, is the godfather to three graves. In an e-mail to The Monroe News, Mr. Hannon said they research the history of the soldiers and learn the circumstances surrounding their deaths.

“We also try to make contact with family members in the United States in order to let them know that their missing soldier isn’t alone in Europe,” wrote Mr. Dradon, who has been Lt. Soleau’s godfather since December.

“We owe them that well!” Mr. Hannon added in English.

Those three years that Lt. Soleau was considered MIA were difficult for the family. Not knowing details regarding his fate was excruciating for Mrs. Balk.

“It just about drove us crazy,” she recalled. “ We wondered if he was in one of those camps. We just didn’t know. We were thinking of him and praying for him all the time. It was terrible.”

Finally, after the wreckage and his remains were recovered from that farm field, there was deep sadness, but also a sense of relief for the family. Mrs. Balk said her mother decided to keep Lt. Soleau’s remains in Europe. As sort of a life insurance policy, the government paid her $50 a month for the rest of her life.

Mr. Soleau said from Florida that during the war he served on the USS Lexington, which was sunk in the Battle of the Coral Sea.

After being plucked from the ocean, he returned to action and served on the USS Guadalcanal, which helped capture a German U-boat that is on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago.

Mr. Soleau said he is appreciative of the Belgian people watching over his older brother’s grave. “I’m very grateful,” he said. The Belgians also are grateful, even generations after the war. As a token of gratitude, they are making certain that Air Force Lt. Raymond H. Soleau, a pilot with the 55th Fighter Squadron, 20th Fighter Group of the 8th Air Force, is not forgotten in Europe.

He was shot down near the town of Muhlhausen in Germany on Feb. 25, 1945. He was 23 and is remembered by many here as well as many others across the Atlantic.

He was laid to rest at gravesite D3-42 in the Ardennes American Cemetery and Memorial that had been visited by family members over the years.

But for those who can’t make the overseas trip to visit the grave, the people there want to reassure them that Lt. Soleau is being cared for.

Today an American flag is draped over the cross and tulips rest at the base.

Seven decades after Lt. Soleau’s death, his gravesite is visited frequently by a man who never knew him but has a desire to pay homage to the memory of a pilot who served, fought and died not only for his country but also for the freedom of millions of others.

Read more at: http://www.monroenews.com/news/2015/feb ... ii-fighte/