Raymond Earl Ische was born on June 22, 1922, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. He was the son of Earl C. Ische and Elsie Striepling Ische. He was the husband of Regina Clara Anna Schmidt Rickenbaugh. He graduated from Rufus King High School in 1940, worked at the Milwaukee Chair Factory, and attended the University of Wisconsin Extension before enlisting in the Army Air Corps on September 1, 1942. He served in the 703rd Bomb Squadron, 445th Bomb Group, Heavy, as a First Lieutenant and Navigator of B-24J #42-51541 during World War II.

On September 27, 1944, B-24J #42-51541, assigned to the 445th Bomb Group of the U.S. Army Air Forces, was lost during a bombing mission over Germany. Serving as the lead aircraft of the formation, the bomber made a radar navigation error that disrupted the bomber stream and caused the group to drift off course. This exposed the formation to intense German anti-aircraft fire and fighter interception, contributing to heavy losses among the attacking force. Amid the confusion and defensive fire, B-24J 42-51541 was attacked by German fighters and shot down, crashing in central Germany in the Kassel–Göttingen region. Several members of the crew were killed during the shoot-down or in the crash, while others parachuted safely but were captured by German forces and taken prisoner. The aircraft failed to return from the mission and was officially declared lost.

1Lt Ische was declared Missing in Action, and his name is inscribed in the Tablets of the Missing in the Luxembourg American Cemetery and Memorial, Hamm, Canton de Luxembourg, Luxembourg, Luxembourg.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.445bg.org, www.kasselmission.org