World War II Honoree

William H. 'Bill' Dailey

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Shooting Creek, North Carolina

Honored By

George Lee American Legion Post 532

HIGHLY DECORATED SOLDIER; 17 MEDALS AND AWARDS. IN MARCH, 1943, INDUCTED AT CAMP CROFT IN SOUTH CAROLINA AND WAS SENT FOR BASIC TRAINING TO FORT LEONARD WOOD IN MISSOURI. COMPLETED HIS FOUR WEEKS BASIC TRAINING AND WAS GIVEN ADDITIONAL SIX MONTH TRAINING IN HEAVY WEAPONRY. WAS THEN DEPLOYED TO THE SOLOMON ISLANDS WHERE HE JOINED THE AMERICAL DIVISION, FIGHTING IN THE PACIFIC CAMPAIGN UNDER THE COMMAND OF GENERAL PATCH. AT BOUGAINVILLE ISLAND HE HELPED DEFEND A STRATEGIC AIR FIELD. ASSIGNED TO THE 164TH INFANTRY REGIMENT. WHILE SERVING AT THIS DUTY STATION, AT LEAST THREE TIMES, HIS COMPANY LANDED AND FOUGHT ON THREE DIFFERENT ISLANDS IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS: LEYTE, NEGROS AND CEBU. IT WAS AT BOUGAINVILLE WHERE HE PROVED HIMSELF AS A HEROIC FOOT SOLDIER. HIS COMPANY ROUTED OUT JAPANESE SOLDIERS FROM ALL THESE ISLANDS EITHER CAPTURING OR ELIMINATING THEM. IT WAS DURING THESE BATTLES THAT HE DISTINGUISHED HIMSELF BY BEING AWARDED SEVENTEEN WAR AND CAMPAIGN MEDALS. AMONG THESE WERE THE BRONZE STAR WITH OAK LEAF CLUSTER AND V DEVICE, PURPLE HEART, ASIATIC-PACIFIC CAMPAIGN MEDAL WITH 2 BRONZE BATTLE STARS, WWII VICTORY MEDAL, ARMY OF OCCUPATION MEDAL WITH JAPAN CLASP, COMBAT INFANTRYMAN BADGE, GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL AND OTHERS. ON JUNE 12, A 164 INFANTRY PLATOON RAN INTO SUCH HEAVY ENEMY FIRE THAT IT WAS FORCED TO WITHDRAW AFTER SUFFERING HALF-DOZEN CASUALTIES. HE WAS ONE OF THOSE HURT. DESPITE THE PAINFUL WOUNDS IN HIS NECK AND LEFT ARM, HE REJOINED HIS UNIT, SUPERVISED THE EVACUATION OF CASUALTIES, AND SAW TO IT THAT HIS SQUAD WAS SAFELY WITHDRAWN. THERE WERE MANY INCIDENTS IN BATTLE IN REMOVING JAPANESE FROM BOTH THE SOLOMON ISLANDS AND THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. ALSO PARTICIPATED IN A MOP-UP OPERATION IN NEGROS. ON SABU BEACHES IN JANUARY 1945, HE DID AMPHIBIOUS TRAINING FOR SEVERAL MONTHS IN PREPARATION FOR INVASION OF THE JAPANESE MAINLAND. THE TASK FORCE WAS ON ITS WAY TO THE MAINLAND AND WAS SIX DAYS OUT WHEN THE WAR ENDED. LANDED IN SEPTEMBER 1945 IN YOKOHAMA, JAPAN.