Laurence Raymond Gulick

Major Laurence Raymond “Ray” Gulick, USAF (Ret) took his final flight into the eternities, a few short weeks from his 101st birthday at Gilchrist Hospice in Columbia, Maryland on March 11, 2022. He had endured many years of increasing back pain from multiple conditions. Despite his pain he adapted to new circumstances and took on increasing limitations from aging with courage and a smile. He would say “getting old is for the birds”, but even his last days showed selfless concern for others and proved he was truly a “tough old bird” to the very end.

Ray was born April 18, 1921 at his parent’s home in Philadelphia. As a young child he was inspired by the daring adventures of the famous pilot Charles Lindburgh and soon caught the aviation bug. The curiosity that started with rubber band powered models led into a long military and civilian career around airplanes. Flying also shaped his future family. It was through mutual friends in the local Philadelphia flying community that he met his wife, Betty George, who was also a private pilot. They had been married 42 years when she passed in 2004.

Ray was always industrious and hard working. Early school jobs shoveling snow and cleaning bottles at the Canada Dry factory where his father worked. His family would move a few times to the New York area (Bogota, NY, Teaneck, NJ and Queens, NY) following his father’s supervisory job. He graduated high school back in Philadelphia with the Frankford High class of 1939. After a year of prep school he entered Lehigh University as an engineering student in the fall of 1941. He would say that was “not yesterday”.

When Pearl Harbor was attacked, he and his fellow students were eager to enlist, but were advised to complete their year. In the summer of 1942, he chose the Army Air Forces and qualified for pilot, bombardier and navigation school. He selected bombardier training and was assigned to a B-24 crew in 466th Bomb Group in the Mighty Eighth Air Force. After nearly a year training, in February 1944, they flew their plane across the Atlantic to their base in Attlebridge, England in East Anglia.

In his group only one in four finished their 30 missions. On his first mission at 22 years old, Lt. Gulick along with his tail gunner, removed 4-100lb live bombs rolling on top of 3-100lb bombs that had hung up and failed to release. They walked out onto a 9-inch catwalk above open bomb bay doors at 16,000 feet without oxygen, gloves or a parachute with air temperatures of -30F. They carefully lifted and released these live bombs and in so doing saved their airship and all ten men aboard, as the slightest jostle would have detonated them and landing would have been impossible. Ray would go on to share this heroic experience with photos, diagrams and in oral history recorded by the Silver Wings interview with the Air Force Association. Ray was never officially recognized for this heroism. The interview can be viewed here:

https://www.weremember.com/laurence-raymond-gulick/7z1h/memories?utm_campaign=memorial_share

Other notable wartime accomplishments include his bomb personally taking out a railroad bridge critical to Nazi operations in Blois, France. He was part of the D-Day invasion bombing coastal France prior to the beach landings. For this he was awarded the French Legion of Honor by the Ambassador of France in the fall of 2018.

He would want it known that three members of his crew were wounded and one, who was a good friend, was killed on his last mission. For his service he was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters and 4 battlestars. He retired as a Major with over 800 flying hours in over 40 types of aircraft. He would always say of his wartime experiences, when sharing with many youth groups, scouts troops, school classes and history associations that the war “was a nightmare”.

After the war, Ray became a bombardier instructor and transferred to the Air Force reserve 1948-1968. He later combined his love for photography and travel with flying and became and aerial photographer with Aero Services Corp. In the 1950s he flew in many converted WWII surplus planes around the United States mapping for airstrip expansions to accommodate commercial jets. He travelled between sites towing his Spartan Imperial Mansion 39’ trailer that he absolutely loved. He spent a year in Saudi Arabia aerial mapping with a contract with ARAMCO flying in a B-17, which later became part of a warbird tour and he and his daughter flew in many years later!

His flight/photography- related career continued with a job with FAA in research and development, investigating and simulating aircraft accidents at a base near Atlantic City. He then transferred to the Navy as a micro-publishing specialist. He moved his family to Virginia in 1972 and retired from the Government Printing Office in 1994.

It was important to Ray that the stories of those who served or went before us would not be forgotten. Besides giving countless educational presentations with laminated visuals, he freely gave very knowledgeable personal guided tours of the National Air and Space Museum. He became a genealogical history worker at his church and helped several people discover and honor the stories behind their family members’ service. He kept meticulous records of his own life and accomplishments. He and his wife travelled while researching their own family histories.

Ray supported his wife’s many volunteer activities at their local LDS Church, the local Prince William Chapter of the American Red Cross, the Camp Fire Girls and OWL Volunteer Fire Department. He was a natural handyman. He made picnic tables for campsites and custom wheelchair ramps for friends. He loved cars and spent many hours fixing them and helping others as well. He loved to customize and create things ahead of their time. He installed seat belts in his early cars using straps from an old plane. He installed an on-board water tank in his trailer using surplus parts.

He was an avid fitness enthusiast from wrestling in college to volunteering ten years at the local recreation center retiring at 95 years old. He would always say he was good at “kicking butt”! He was also a sharpshooter in the military and became an NRA instructor enjoying target/skeet shooting. Ray loved and had several German Shepherd dogs. He enjoyed reading, history and travel.

He had a knee replacement at 92, drove a car until age 95 and lived at his home until 100. He was a 32nd degree Mason, a member of the National and Virginia Chapters of the Eighth Air Force Historical Society which has an archived oral history of his war time experiences, and the 466th Bomb Group Association. His family and friends honored his 100th birthday with a bench that sits outside the newly constructed visitor centre at his base in Attlebridge, England. He kept a sense of humor and kindness until the end. Above all he wanted to be known that he loved his family and his country.

He is survived by his daughter, Elizabeth A. (Gulick) Mercurio, and son-in-law Michael N. Mercurio of Elkridge, MD; his step son Bruce J. Ward (wife Pam) of Manassas, VA; two grandchildren Rachel E. Carlile, 25 of Annapolis, MD and Stephanie M (Carlile) Bauld, 29 (husband David), one great granddaughter Gianna Rose Bauld, 4 of Lakewood, WA. He also has two step grandchildren Joseph M. Mercurio, 24 of Annapolis and Monica M. Mercurio, 21 currently in Tuscaloosa, AL.

Family will receive friends at Witzke Funeral Homes, Inc. 5555 Twin Knolls Rd., Columbia MD 21045 on Sunday, March 27, 2022 from 5 to 7pm. Visitation will also be held at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 4100 St. Johns Lane, Ellicott City, MD 21042 on Monday, March 28, 2022 from 11am to 12:30pm, where a funeral service will begin at 12:30pm. All are invited to a reception immediately following following the service to be held at Matthews 1600, 1600 Frederick Rd Catonsville. Interment with military honors at Arlington Cemetery, 2900 State Rd., Drexel Hill, PA 19026 will be held at 1pm on Tuesday, March 29, 2022. All are welcome to attend any and all events.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in his honor to Shriners Hospital for children (see donation link below)

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.witzkefuneralhomes.com for the Gulick family.