World War II Honoree

William Leo Zanon

Branch of Service

U.S. Navy

Hometown

Walsenburg, Colorado

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Aviation Machinist’s Mate Second Class. He was inducted into the United States Navy October 20, 1942 at Denver, Colorado, with his recruit training at the U.S. Naval Training Station San Diego, California. After completing boot camp, and aircraft mechanics training, he was transferred to the USS Gambier Bay Escort Aircraft Carrier for duty, assigned to the Aircraft Composite Squadron Ten in the South Pacific Theater of Operations. On July 12, 1944 the seagoing airbase and her shipmates returned to the Tinian Island conflict, Northern Mariana Islands, after a week of refueling and loading provisions at the island of Eniwetok. Reported missing in action, lost at sea Saturday, July 22, 1944 when he volunteered to fly a combat mission. The pilot of a Grumman TBF Avenger, Torpedo Bomber spun in on a catapult take-off, and the depth bombs on the Avenger exploded, destroying the plane and killing all three crewmembers. In remembrance of the brave, his name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at the Honolulu National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific, ‘Punchbowl’ Hawaii. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country.