World War II Honoree
Killed in World War II
Thomas Wallace Appleyard
Branch of Service
U.S. Army Air Force
Hometown
Tallahassee, Florida
Honored By
William David Wilson, American Legion Post 68
On October 31, 1943 he was the Co-Pilot on the crew of a North American B-25 Mitchell #42-65118 during an anti-submarine patrol. They took off at 1:00 AM to investigate strange lights reported north of Borinquen Air Field. They apparently crashed into the sea off the coast of Puerto Rico. It is believed they were fired on from an enemy ship. None of the men onboard were found and they were declared missing in action. During a search and rescue operation, a coast guard cutter found an empty dingy, with no survivors.