William was working as a Civil Service employee at a nearby
air force base when he was drafted into the military. He was inducted into the
Army Air Forces on March 15, 1943. He was 20 years old.
After basic training, William was sent to the southwest
Pacific and became part of the famous 5th AAF. During his tenure
with the AAF he was a sergeant major at several air bases including Darwin,
Australia. William remembers entering Darwin harbor after an attack by the
Japanese Imperial Navy and observed the massive devastation brought on to that
beautiful harbor.
He was also assigned to bases in the Philippines and for a
short time in New Guinea. Another memory of William’s is when he entered the battle
worn Philippine capital of Manila just after the U.S. Army liberated the city
from the Japanese.
At another point in William’s interesting career in the AAF,
he sailed on two very uncomfortable 29 day trips on Liberty ships crossing the
Pacific, even having the terrible experience of once being caught in a Typhoon which
is what hurricanes are called in the Pacific region. William states that he was
awarded the usual service medals and ribbons including the Philippine
Liberation medal.
He was discharged from the AAF on January 16, 1946.
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