World War II Honoree

Willard Leon 'Woody' Daniels

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Manitou, Tillman County, Oklahoma

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

Relationship

Relationship Not Determind

TRAINED INITIALLY IN THE AMERICAN THEATER FOR ENTRY-LEVEL ‘BASIC TRAINING’ AND THEN FOR ADVANCED MILITARY OCCUPATIONAL SPECIALTY (MOS) QUALIFICATION. SERVED OVERSEAS AS A MEMBER OF A B-17 'FLYING FORTRESS' BOMBER AIRCRAFT UNIT, IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN THEATER, WITH THE 351ST BOMBARDMENT GROUP (HEAVY), 8TH AIR FORCE. HIS UNIT WAS BASED AT POLEBROOK, ENGLAND AND OPERATED PRIMARILY AGAINST STRATEGIC TARGETS IN GERMANY. HIS GROUP ALSO STRUCK TARGETS IN FRANCE, BELGIUM, HOLLAND AND NORWAY. IN ADDITION, IT OPERATED IN SUPPORT OF GROUND FORCES, INCLUDING DURING THE ALLIED NORMANDY D-DAY INVASION OF FRANCE IN JUNE, 1944; DURING THE AIRBORNE ATTACK IN HOLLAND IN SEPTEMBER, 1944; AND DURING OPERATIONS TO STOP THE GERMAN COUNTEROFFENSIVE DURING THE GERMAN ARDENNES-ALSACE (BATTLE OF THE BULGE) ADVANCE IN DECEMBER, 1944-JANUARY, 1945. COMPLETED 35 COMBAT MISSIONS. PARTICIPATED IN THE AIR OFFENSIVE-EUROPE, NORMANDY, NORTHERN FRANCE, RHINELAND, ARDENNES-ALSACE (BATTLE OF THE BULGE), AND CENTRAL EUROPE CAMPAIGNS. AWARDED THE AIR MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. AUTHORIZED THE PRESIDENTIAL (DISTINGUISHED) UNIT CITATION FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM IN ACTION BY HIS UNIT WHILE BOMBING GERMAN AIRCRAFT FACTORIES. HONORABLY DISCHARGED AFTER THE WAR AND ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON.