World War II Honoree

William O. 'Bill' Young

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Lone Grove, Oklahoma

Honored By

Robert S. Cox

APPLIED AND WAS SELECTED FOR NAVAL FLIGHT TRAINING. UPON COMPLETION OF TRAINING, HE WAS AWARDED HIS GOLD NAVAL AVIATION INSIGNIA (WINGS) AND COMMISSIONED AN ENSIGN. SERVED IN THE AMERICAN THEATER DURING THE WAR. HIS SQUADRON WAS STATIONED INITIALLY IN THE CONTINENTAL UNITED STATES AT NAVAL AIR STATION (NAS) DELAND, FLORIDA, AND THEN OVERSEAS IN THE AMERICAN THEATER IN THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS WITH VPB-141, AN ANTISUBMARINE PATROL BOMBER AND MARITIME PATROL SQUADRON. TRAINED OPERATIONALLY AT THE NAVAL AIRFIELD AT BOCA CHICA, FLORIDA. DEPLOYED OVERSEAS IN AUGUST, 1943, FOR SERVICE IN THE CARIBBEAN ISLANDS. HIS SQUADRON FLEW PV-1 'VENTURA' AIRCRAFT FROM NAS GUANTANAMO BAY, CUBA, NAS SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO, NAVAL AIR FIELD EDINBURGH FIELD AT TRINIDAD, BRITISH WEST INDIES, AND NAVAL AIR FIELD HATO FIELD IN CURACAO, IN 1943-44. HE PARTICIPATED IN ANTI-SUBMARINE, MARITIME PATROL, AND CONVOY COVERAGE MISSIONS. HIS SQUADRON RETURNED TO THE UNITED STATES TO NAS BEAUFORT, SOUTH CAROLINA IN 1944, AND SERVED THERE UNTIL 1945, WHEN HIS SQUADRON WAS DISBANDED. AWARDED THE AIR MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, AND WWII VICTORY MEDAL. HONORABLY DISCHARGED AND ISSUED THE WWII HONORABLE DISCHARGE LAPEL PIN. CONTINUED IN U.S. NAVY SERVICE AFTER THE WAR UNTIL AGAIN HONORABLY DISCHARGED WITH THE RANK OF LIEUTENANT COMMANDER.