Raymond W. Dege III was born on October 2, 1949. His home of record is Brick, NJ. He attended Brick High School. He enjoyed baseball, basketball and refurbishing cars. He was one of seven children including his brother, Robert, and five sisters, Hazel, Charlotte, Kathy, Carolyn and Beverly. Raymond’s father had served in the Army during World War II from North Africa to Sicily to Germany.
Raymond was working as a mechanic in a local service station when he enlisted in the US Army in April 1969. He received his high school diploma while attending Army Infantry Training in Fort Benning, GA.
He entered the US Army on April 22, 1969 where he attained the rank of Specialist 4 (SP4). His tour of duty in Vietnam began on December 7, 1969.
Dege was serving with the 1st Aviation, 62nd Maintenance Battalion, in Pleiku Province, South Vietnam, when he was killed on May 7, 1970.
Raymond Dege III is buried in Ocean County Memorial Park in Toms River. His parents passed away many years later, his mother in 1994 and his father in 2000, are buried nearby.
Dege received the Bronze Star, the Good Conduct Medal, the Automatic Rifle Expert Medal, the Sharp Shooter Medal, and the National Defense Medal.
The first name to be etched on the black granite panels of the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial in Holmdel was Raymond W. Dege III of Brick. His name was on the top section for those from New Jersey killed on May 7. That was also the date of the planned dedication of the memorial site that would include 1,546 in 1995.
Sources: Anne Cullen (volunteer) and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024
