World War II Honoree

William O'Connell

Branch of Service

U.S. Army

Hometown

Central Islip, New York

Honored By

Michael McTiernan

On July 29th, 1942, he was inducted into the Army. He received his basic training at Camp Pickett, Virginia, and was stationed at Camp Barkley, Texas; also at Camp Reynolds, Pennsylvania; Camp Beale, California; Camp Stoneman, California and Fort Lawton, Seattle, Washington. He served overseas with the 662nd Amphibious Engineers in the Philippine Islands and the Marshall Islands. In November 1945 he re-enlisted in the U.S. Army and was stationed at Mitchell Field, New York as driver of a Staff Car. He served as a model for Lieutenant Colonel Charles Baskerville, an artist who was noted for his paintings depicting scenes of war and the life of servicemen.