World War II Honoree

David Cornelius Williams

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Jackson, Tennessee

Honored By

Dennis Timothy Williams & Melissa Williams Parrott

Relationship

Son & Daughter

LEFT HIS HOMETOWN OF JACKSON, TENNESSEE ABOARD A GREYHOUND BUS ON SEPTEMBER 12, 1944, AND ARRIVED IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA THE FOLLOWING DAY. ENTERED ACTIVE MILITARY SERVICE AT FORT MCPHERSON AT ATLANTA, GEORGIA ON SEPTEMBER 13, 1944. ASSIGNED TO THE ARMY AIR FORCES AT THE RECEPTION CENTER. SERVED INITIALLY IN THE AMERICAN THEATER DURING THE WAR. FOLLOWING INPROCESSING AND CLASSIFICATION, REASSIGNED TO SHEPPARD FIELD AT WICHITA FALLS, TEXAS FOR A 5-WEEK BASIC MILITARY COURSE. NEXT ASSIGNED TO KEESLER FIELD AT BILOXI, MISSISSIPPI FOR TECHNICAL TRAINING. TRAINED FOR SOME 8 MONTHS IN AIRPLANE REPAIR AND MAINTENANCE, INCLUDING ON CONSOLIDATED B-24 ‘LIBERATOR’ HEAVY BOMBER AIRCRAFT. AT THE COMPLETION OF TRAINING, HE WAS QUALIFIED AS AN AIRPLANE MECHANIC, AWARDED THE TECHNICIAN QUALIFICATION BADGE WITH ‘AIRPLANE MECHANIC’ QUALIFICATION BAR, AND PROMOTED TO THE RANK OF CORPORAL. AS AN AIRCRAFT MECHANIC, HE SERVED AS PART OF A GROUND CREW RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SERVICE AND MAINTENANCE OF HIS ASSIGNED AIRCRAFT. DUTIES INCLUDED CHECKING THE CONDITION OF AIRPLANES AND ENGINES; MAKING REPAIRS, REPLACEMENTS AND ADJUSTMENTS; AND INSPECTING ELECTRICAL AND CONTROL SYSTEMS, UNDERCARRIAGE, BRAKES, ENGINES AND PROPELLERS. REASSIGNED TO BLYTHEVILLE ARMY AIR FIELD AT BLYTHEVILLE, ARKANSAS, WHERE HE JOINED AIR TRANSPORT COMMAND AND SERVICED TROOP CARRIER SQUADRON DOUGLAS C-47 ‘SKYTRAIN’ AND CURTISS C-46 ‘COMMANDO’ TRANSPORT AIRCRAFT. THEN SERVED AT LINCOLN ARMY AIR FIELD AT LINCOLN, NEBRASKA, AND KEARNEY ARMY AIR FIELD AT KEARNEY, NEBRASKA WHERE HE SERVICED BOEING B-29 ‘SUPERFORTRESS’ VERY HEAVY BOMBERS. DEPLOYED OVERSEAS AFTER THE END OF HOSTILITIES IN EUROPE (V-E DAY), SAILING ABOARD THE TROOP TRANSPORT SHIP USS GENERAL A.E. ANDERSON (AP-111) FROM THE BOSTON PORT OF EMBARKATION TO THE PORT OF LE HAVRE, FRANCE. SERVED IN THE EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTER THEATER, IN THE EUROPEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (ETO), AND THE MEDITERRANEAN THEATER OF OPERATIONS (MTOUSA). UPON ARRIVAL IN THEATER, HE PASSED THROUGH CAMP PHILLIP MORRIS, A MAJOR STAGING AREA FOR AMERICAN REPLACEMENTS, AT GAINNEVILLE, FRANCE, IN THE LE HAVRE AREA, EN ROUTE TO HIS NEXT DUTY STATION. SERVED, INCLUDING WITH OCCUPATION FORCES, AT FURSTENFELDBRUCK AIRFIELD, IN BAVARIA IN SOUTHERN GERMANY NEAR MUNICH, AND AT LECHFELD AIR BASE (R-71) AT LAGERLECHFELD, ALSO IN BAVARIA SOME 25 MILES SOUTH OF THE TOWN OF AUGSBURG. HIS GROUP MOVED TO LECHFELD AIR BASE ON DECEMBER 15, 1945. ASSIGNED AS AN AERIAL ENGINEER ABOARD B-17 ‘FLYING FORTRESS’ HEAVY BOMBER AIRCRAFT, WITH THE 305TH BOMBARDMENT GROUP (HEAVY), 8TH AIR FORCE AND THEN AS PART OF UNITED STATES AIR FORCES IN EUROPE. AS AN AERIAL ENGINEER, HE CHECKED THE AIRCRAFT BEFORE FLIGHT, MADE REPAIRS AND ADJUSTMENTS IN FLIGHT TO CORRECT MECHANICAL PROBLEMS, AND ASSISTED IN THE OPERATION OF FLIGHT CONTROLS, POWER PLANT COMPONENTS AND OTHER EQUIPMENT. HE FLEW NON-COMBAT MISSIONS, INCLUDING 3 MISSIONS TO EGYPT IN NORTH AFRICA AND ON NUMEROUS PHOTOGRAPHIC MAPPING MISSIONS (PROJECT CASEY JONES) OVER PARTS OF EUROPE AND NORTH AFRICA DURING HIS TOUR OF DUTY. HE SAILED FROM THE GERMAN PORT OF BREMERHAVEN, ON GERMANY’S NORTH SEA COAST ABOARD THE TROOP TRANSPORT SHIP USS SHEEPSHEAD BAY VICTORY TO THE NEW YORK PORT OF EMBARKATION. HONORABLY DISCHARGED AT THE SEPARATION CENTER, FORT GEORGE G. MEADE AT BALTIMORE, MARYLAND ON JULY 21, 1946, WITH THE RANK OF SERGEANT AND ISSUED THE HONORABLE SERVICE LAPEL BUTTON. AWARDED THE GOOD CONDUCT MEDAL, AMERICAN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, EUROPEAN-AFRICAN-MIDDLE EASTERN CAMPAIGN MEDAL, WWII VICTORY MEDAL, AND ARMY OF OCCUPATION MEDAL WITH ‘GERMANY’ CLASP.