Robert E. Femoyer, Medal of Honor Navigator Who Saved Crew

Oct 06 , 2025

Robert E. Femoyer, Medal of Honor Navigator Who Saved Crew

Robert E. Femoyer carried his own death on his back like a shadow, silent and relentless. Wounded deep in the lungs—every breath a dagger—he kept talking into a crackling radio, guiding a bomber crew through enemy skies. He chose mission over life itself. His voice, ragged and fading, became the difference between survival and oblivion.

From Appalachia to the Airwaves

Born in 1919 in Morgantown, West Virginia, Femoyer was a son of rugged hills and simple faith. Raised in a tight-knit community, he carried the Bible in his heart even before combat boots hit the dirt.

He graduated from West Virginia University and became a history teacher. But war doesn't wait on graduates or prayers—she calls, and you answer.

His faith was the steel in his spine. A devout Christian, Femoyer leaned on scripture when things fell apart. The battlefield never silenced his conviction that God is sovereign over life and death.

Survival Through Sacrifice: March 1944, Enemy Territory

March 2, 1944. Femoyer served as a navigator aboard a B-17 Flying Fortress, part of the Eighth Air Force pounding Nazi strongholds in Europe.

Their mission: bomb the railroad yards at Saarbrücken, Germany.

Early in the raid, flak shredded Femoyer’s right lung and arm. The impact should’ve ended it. But he refused to quit.

With a destroyed radio operator, Femoyer grabbed the microphone. Gasping blood and grit, he transmitted vital navigation updates. His directions kept the bomber formation tight. His voice a lifeline.

Five agonizing minutes dragged—brutally slow with lung pierced.

Finally, the bomber limped back to friendly skies.

Femoyer collapsed upon landing. He died the next day in a London hospital, a warrior who bled in victory’s shadow.

Medal of Honor: A Brother’s Testament

His Medal of Honor citation reads:

“Navigating unassisted and severely wounded, Lieutenant Femoyer refused aid and continued to transmit the vital information which enabled his plane to avoid hazards and return safely.”

His commander, Col. Hubert Zemke, proclaimed:

“Femoyer's valor was the kind that leaders can only dream of. His sacrifice saved a crew and epitomized selfless courage.”

Accounts from crew members recall his whispered orders, stone in the fire, grinding out hope through radio static.

The Cost of Courage, The Gift of Legacy

Robert E. Femoyer’s story is seared into the fabric of veteran valor—a reminder that heroism isn’t always about the big moments, but the quiet agony conquered alone.

Every breath taken in pain, every transmission sent when dying, turns into a promise: Mission first. Brothers never lost. Faith intact.

His sacrifice speaks to all who bear scars unseen and battles unacknowledged.

“I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.” — Philippians 4:13

Femoyer’s legacy is more than medals or dates. It’s a challenge to stand steady when the body fails, to be a voice for those who cannot.

In the endless war between despair and duty, he chose duty.

Sources

1. United States Army Center of Military History, Medal of Honor Recipients: World War II 2. Eighth Air Force Museum archives, “B-17 Missions Over Europe: Saarbrücken Raid,” 1944 3. West Virginia University Alumni Records, 1919–1944 4. Col. Hubert Zemke Interview, Air Power History Journal, 1980