Ora McMurry was an American officer in the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...

Air Service during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. He was twice awarded with the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) The Distinguished Service Cross (DSC) is a military decoration awarded to ...

. His first award citation reads: :''The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Air Service) Ora R. McMurry, United States Army Air Service, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with

49th Aero Squadron The 49th Aero Squadron was a United States Army Air Service unit that fought on the Western Front during World War I. The squadron was assigned as a Day Pursuit (Fighter) Squadron as part of the 2d Pursuit Group, First United States Army. It ...

, 2d Pursuit Group, U.S. Army Air Service, A.E.F., near Romagne, France, 4 October 1918. Lieutenant McMurry was a member of a patrol of seven machines which attacked 17 enemy Fokkers. After shooting down one of the enemy, this officer returned to the fight and shot down another.'' His second award citation reads: :''The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Distinguished Service Cross to First Lieutenant (Air Service) Ora R. McMurry, United States Army Air Service, for extraordinary heroism in action while serving with 49th Aero Squadron, 2d Pursuit Group, U.S. Army Air Service, A.E.F., near Tages and La Croix aux Bois, France, 30 October 1918. After becoming separated from his patrol because of motor trouble, this officer encountered and attacked five enemy planes (Fokker), and succeeded in shooting down one of them.'' McMurry was born in

Lake Preston, South Dakota Lake Preston is a city in Kingsbury County, South Dakota, United States. The population was 599 at the 2010 census. History A post office called Preston was established in 1879, and the name was changed to Lake Preston in 1882. The town site was ...

, his official residence was listed as

Evansville, Wisconsin Evansville is a city in Rock County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 5,703 at the 2020 census. History Evansville was first settled in the 1830s by New Englanders who were attracted to the area by its pristine wooded landscape an ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McMurry, Ora Year of birth missing Year of death missing Military personnel from South Dakota Military personnel from Wisconsin People from Kingsbury County, South Dakota People from Evansville, Wisconsin United States Army Air Forces officers United States Army Air Service pilots of World War I Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)