Capt. Ortmeyer was born March 5, 1915, in Little Rock Arkansas, and grew up in Tampa, Florida. He attended the University of Florida and was a member of SAE fraternity.  He enlisted in the US Army on September 26, 1941, and was assigned to Bonham Aviation School, Jones Field, Bonham, Texas.  He received additional training and his "wings" at Randolph Field, Texas, as Company Captain. He graduated from the Air Corps Advanced Flying School and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant, Air Corps Reserve, at Ellington Field, Houston, Texas, on April 29, 1942.  He was assigned to Mitchel Field, Long Island, NY, where he was promoted to Captain in March, 1943, and from which he "shipped out" in April, 1943. 

Based in Bangalore, India, with the 89th Fighter Squadron, Capt. Ortmeyer volunteered for the 459th Fighter Squadron, 80th Fighter Group, 10th Air Force.  He was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for the longest fighter mission of the war in 1943, flying a Lockheed P-38 Lightning as a bomber escort. He was shot down in combat over Rangoon, Burma, on November 27, 1943, captured by the Japanese and taken to Kempei Tai (gestapo) Headquarters, then imprisoned in New Law Courts Jail, Rangoon.  He died as a POW of malnutrition and dysentery on January 13, 1945, at age 29. 

Capt. Ortmeyer’s remains were interred in Cemetery Rangoon Cantonement.  On May 17, 1946, C-47B #43-48308, carrying his body for proper burial, was lost in flight between Akyab and Calcutta, India.