World War II Honoree
Killed In Action
William Ross Constantine
Branch of Service
U.S. Marine Corps
Hometown
Chicago, Illinois
Honored By
Orville L. Kline
Rank: Staff Sergeant. He was inducted into the United States Marine Corps November 21, 1942 at Chicago, Illinois, with recruit training at the Marine Corps Base in San Diego, California. After his graduation from boot camp, he was selected to attend the Marine Corps Flight Aviation Training Program. And with any additional training, he was assigned to the Marine Bomber Squadron “Devil-Dogs” Six-Twelve ‘VMB-612’, Marine Air Group-Sixty-One, Third Marine Aircraft Wing. The air echelon arrived on Saipan Island in October of 1944, and based at Kagman Airfield Location: Northwestern Pacific Theater of Operations. On Monday, February 12, 1945, while flying aboard a PBJ-1JD Bomber as and Nose Gunner, his aircraft was reported as Missing-in-Action, lost at Sea, after departing Saipan on a Rocket Mission. The aerial combat mission was against an Armada of Imperial Japanese Warships en-route to Iwo Jima. In remembrance of the brave, his name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at Honolulu Memorial Location: Honolulu, Hawaii. In remembrance of the brave, his name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at Honolulu Memorial Location: Honolulu, Hawaii. His Missing-in-Action status was amended to read Killed-in-Action Wednesday, February 13, 1946. In his Memory and Honor, this American Patriot received the following Decorations posthumously: Air Medal and the Purple Heart. The Air Medal was awarded to the Sergeant for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight, and the Purple Heart for his Heroism and ultimate sacrifice.