World War II Honoree

Walter J. Piskor

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Willimantic, Connecticut

Honored By

William Stegall

TECHNICAL SERGEANT. SERVED WITH 866TH BOMBER SQUADRON, 494TH BOMB GROUP, HEAVY. HE WAS A MEMBER OF THE B-24 AIRCRAFT 'TALOA'. THE TALOA, ALONG WITH 35 OTHER BOMBERS ON JULY 28, 1945, PARTICIPATED IN A BOMBING MISSION TO KURE HARBOR ON THE SOUTHERN END OF HONSHU. THE TARGET WAS THE JAPANESE BATTLESHIP 'HARUNA'. TALOA DELIVERED ITS 3 BOMBS AGAINST THE BATTLESHIP AND WITHIN MOMENTS AFTER RELEASING THEM WAS HIT BY ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE. TALOA MADE A SLIGHT TURN TO THE LEFT, WENT INTO A STEEP DIVE AND WENT DOWN AT YAWATA VILLAGE IN THE HIROSHIMA PREFECTURE. HE FELL TO HIS DEATH NEAR THE OTAGAWA RIVER AT THE MITSUBISHI SHIPYARD MACHINE FACTORY'S ROOF. AWARDS: AIR MEDAL WITH 4 OAK LEAF CLUSTERS AND PURPLE HEART. SERIAL NUMBER: 11 066604.