World War II Honoree

William M. Cousins

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Honored By

Friends of American Heroes

HE WAS DRAFTED INTO THE ARMY AND LOBBIED HARD FOR THE CHANCE TO BECOME AN AVIATOR. HE WAS SENT TO BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI, THEN TO TUSKEGEE, ALABAMA, WHERE HE SPENT JULY 30 TO SEPTEMBER 8, 1944, IN ADVANCED TRAINING AS A SINGLE-ENGINE AIRCRAFT. WHILE IN THE FINAL PHASE OF ADVANCED TRAINING, A HIGH-ALTITUDE MISSION TO GET THE PLANE TO ITS MAXIMUM HEIGHT IN A GROUP, SUDDENLY HIS WINDSCREEN WAS COATED WITH OIL, AND HE HAD TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING ON THE FIELD. HE LANDED SAFELY. UPON RECEIVING HIS WINGS, HE BECAME A SECOND LIEUTENANT AND ONE OF THE TUSKEGEE AIRMEN. HE FLEW TO CASABLANCA, THEN ON TO NAPLES, AND FINALLY INLAND TO RAMITELLI, TO JOIN THE 100TH FIGHTER SQUADRON, 332D FIGHTER GROUP. WHILE STATIONED IN ITALY, HE FLEW A P-51 MUSTANG, COMPLETING MORE THAN A DOZEN MISSIONS. ON OCTOBER 1, 1945, HE WAS BY THEN A FIRST LIEUTENANT, SAILED FROM NAPLES AND RETURNED HOME. HE WAS HONORABLY DISCHARGED ON DECEMBER 25, 1946, WITH THE RANK OF CAPTAIN.