Today in Wheeling History: May 21 - William Staats Rader (formerly Raper) was born in Wheeling, West Virginia, and he later became known as a highly decorated United States Air Force brigadier general who flew numerous missions over Europe and the Pacific during World War II (1914).
Brigadier General William S. Rader had a distinguished military career, serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces and later the U.S. Air Force. Born on May 21, 1914, in Wheeling, West Virginia, he grew up at 4518 Eoff Street. Rader, whose original surname was Raper, graduated from Wheeling High School in 1932 and attended Wittenberg College in Ohio for two years before enlisting as an aviation cadet in November 1940.
During World War II, Rader flew B-17 Flying Fortresses in both the Pacific and European theaters. He completed 17 reconnaissance flights during the Battle of Midway in 1942. On one mission, his aircraft was badly damaged, forcing him to ditch in the ocean. Rader and his crew spent 18 hours in a life raft before being rescued. In Europe, he flew 72 missions as the lead plane, targeting various strategic sites. Remarkably, he never lost a plane or a crewman.
Rader married Stephanie Czech, who was also a veteran, having served as an OSS spy in Poland after WWII. Stephanie, born in 1915 in Toledo, Ohio, to Polish immigrants, used her language skills and cultural knowledge to gather intelligence on Soviet troop movements, facing constant danger. She was nominated for the Legion of Merit in 1946, but didn't receive it until 2016, posthumously.
After the war, Rader held various command and staff positions, eventually retiring in 1968 as a Brigadier General. Throughout his service, he was awarded several decorations, including the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal. The Raders lived in Alexandria, Virginia for 35 years, where William passed away on November 5, 2003, at the age of 89. Stephanie died on January 21, 2016, at 100 years old.
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/2mhc26hr) (https://tinyurl.com/3a2pvwc4) (https://tinyurl.com/2c8try5z) (https://tinyurl.com/63fpsk5u) (https://tinyurl.com/6t7w83jk) (https://tinyurl.com/3v82vnhy) (https://tinyurl.com/nhe6txjv) (https://tinyurl.com/bdefkpv7) (https://tinyurl.com/2bzwsta7) (https://tinyurl.com/5yyv8nrf) (https://tinyurl.com/mr35fcw5) (https://tinyurl.com/yvjdz395) (https://tinyurl.com/2bu2sfxb) (https://tinyurl.com/upatppwh) (https://tinyurl.com/25dkf8p7) (https://tinyurl.com/36hkkm6s)
Photo credits: Wheeling News-Register, Wheeling Intelligencer, Find a Grave, Arlington National Cemetery, Wikitree
Brigadier General William S. Rader had a distinguished military career, serving in the U.S. Army Air Forces and later the U.S. Air Force. Born on May 21, 1914, in Wheeling, West Virginia, he grew up at 4518 Eoff Street. Rader, whose original surname was Raper, graduated from Wheeling High School in 1932 and attended Wittenberg College in Ohio for two years before enlisting as an aviation cadet in November 1940.
During World War II, Rader flew B-17 Flying Fortresses in both the Pacific and European theaters. He completed 17 reconnaissance flights during the Battle of Midway in 1942. On one mission, his aircraft was badly damaged, forcing him to ditch in the ocean. Rader and his crew spent 18 hours in a life raft before being rescued. In Europe, he flew 72 missions as the lead plane, targeting various strategic sites. Remarkably, he never lost a plane or a crewman.
Rader married Stephanie Czech, who was also a veteran, having served as an OSS spy in Poland after WWII. Stephanie, born in 1915 in Toledo, Ohio, to Polish immigrants, used her language skills and cultural knowledge to gather intelligence on Soviet troop movements, facing constant danger. She was nominated for the Legion of Merit in 1946, but didn't receive it until 2016, posthumously.
After the war, Rader held various command and staff positions, eventually retiring in 1968 as a Brigadier General. Throughout his service, he was awarded several decorations, including the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross, and Air Medal. The Raders lived in Alexandria, Virginia for 35 years, where William passed away on November 5, 2003, at the age of 89. Stephanie died on January 21, 2016, at 100 years old.
To learn more: (https://tinyurl.com/2mhc26hr) (https://tinyurl.com/3a2pvwc4) (https://tinyurl.com/2c8try5z) (https://tinyurl.com/63fpsk5u) (https://tinyurl.com/6t7w83jk) (https://tinyurl.com/3v82vnhy) (https://tinyurl.com/nhe6txjv) (https://tinyurl.com/bdefkpv7) (https://tinyurl.com/2bzwsta7) (https://tinyurl.com/5yyv8nrf) (https://tinyurl.com/mr35fcw5) (https://tinyurl.com/yvjdz395) (https://tinyurl.com/2bu2sfxb) (https://tinyurl.com/upatppwh) (https://tinyurl.com/25dkf8p7) (https://tinyurl.com/36hkkm6s)
Photo credits: Wheeling News-Register, Wheeling Intelligencer, Find a Grave, Arlington National Cemetery, Wikitree
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