Selected Events 2008    

Consul For Public Affairs Honors WWII U.S. Flight Crew In Eisenberg

Consul for Public Affairs James Seward

October 13, 2008. Consul for Public Affairs James Seward laid a wreath at a memorial near the Thuringian city of Eisenberg, to honor a member of a B-17 Flying Fortress crew, who was killed with 7 of his fellow crew members when the aircraft went down in February, 1945. The visit took place at the request of the last surviving relative of Staff Sgt. Raymond Reiss, who asked that Reiss be honored on what would have been his 82st birthday, Oct 13. Staff Sgt. Reiss's B-17 crashed on a hillside after a midair collision with another U.S. aircraft; the pilot struggled to maneuver the plane away from Eisenberg and other populated areas, saving many lives. This tragedy has brought the citizens of Eisenberg and the U.S. closer together over the years.