World War II Honoree

William Brown Wilson, Jr.

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Hendersonville, North Carolina

Honored By

Mary Ruth Wilson, Mary Jane Keefe, Ruth Ann McCormick, Billi Carol Bender

ENLISTED IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS ON APRIL 2, 1942; WAS CALLED TO ACTIVE DUTY AT FT. JACKSON, SOUTH CAROLINA ON AUGUST 8, 1942. COMPLETED PRE-FLIGHT TRAINING AT THE SAN ANTONIO AVIATION CADET CENTER, TEXAS OCTOBER 1942. COMPLETED PRIMARY FLIGHT TRAINING AT STAMFORD FIELD, TEXAS JANUARY 1943. COMPLETED BASIC TRAINING AT WACO ARMY AIR FIELD, TEXAS MARCH 1943, WAS THEN ASSIGNED TO BLACKLAND ARMY AIR FIELD AT WACO FOR ADVANCED FLIGHT TRAINING. COMMISSIONED AS A 2ND LIEUTENANT ON MAY 24, 1943, AND ASSIGNED TO BIGGS FIELD, EL PASO, TEXAS AS A B-24 AIRCRAFT CO-PILOT. AFTER TWO MONTHS AS A CO-PILOT AND IN THE TOP 10% OF HIS CLASS, WAS SELECTED TO RECEIVE FIRST-PILOT TRAINING AT DAVIS-MONTHAN FIELD IN TUCSON, ARIZONA. UPON COMPLETION OF THAT TRAINING WAS PROMOTED TO 1ST LIEUTENANT ON FEBRUARY 2, 1944. BEGINNING MAY 8, 1944 FLEW A B-24 AIRCRAFT AND HIS CREW TO THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS VIA TRINIDAD, BRAZIL, SENEGAL AND FRENCH MOROCCO. FLEW A TOTAL OF 31 COMBAT MISSIONS OVER FRANCE, BELGIUM, HOLLAND AND GERMANY AS FIRST PILOT ON A B-24; TARGETS IN GERMANY WERE PRIMARILY IN HAMBURG, MUNICH, SAARBRÜCKEN AND STUTTGART. FLEW TWO B-24 LIBERATORS WHILE IN EUROPE: THE FIRST WAS NICKNAMED 'MODEST MAIDEN' AND THE SECOND 'AIN'T MISS BEHAVING'. RETURNED TO THE U.S. IN 1945 AND WAS GIVEN AN HONORABLE DISCHARGE ON OCTOBER 18, 1945. RECEIVED FIVE BATTLE STARS, THE AIR MEDAL WITH THREE OAK LEAF CLUSTERS FOR MERITORIOUS ACHIEVEMENT AGAINST ENEMY ACTION, AND THE DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS.