World War II Honoree
Killed In Action
William Oscar Wood
Branch of Service
U.S. Army Air Force
Hometown
Lowndes County, Georgia
Honored By
Pearl Thomas
As a member of the 328th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 93rd Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force, he served as a gunner aboard a B-24 Liberator bomber during Operation Tidal Wave, the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, north of Bucharest, Romania. On August 1, 1943, his bomber crashed after being shot down by the enemy anti-aircraft fire. His remains were identified on May 12, 2022 by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. He had been interred in cemeteries in Romania and Belgium as an unknown soldier. He will be reinterred on August 1, 2022 at the Tallahassee National Cemetery, Tallahassee, Florida. He was awarded posthumously the Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, Air Medal with oak leaf, American Defense Medal, World War II Victory Medal, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with silver star, Presidential Unit Citation with oak leaf, US Enlisted Air Crew Member Wings, Honorable Service Lapel Button and the Good Conduct Medal.