World War II Honoree
Killed In Action
Theodore Edward Willhite
Branch of Service
U.S. Army Air Force
Hometown
Muscatine, Iowa
Honored By
Pearl Thomas
Relationship
A Grateful American
On March 11, 1944, he was a co-pilot on a B-24 aircraft on a mission to strike German submarine pens and repair sheds at the harbor in Toulon, France. While over the target, the group met heavy enemy fire and his plane took a direct hit igniting a fire in the fuselage. The plane spun out of control and crashed. No parachutes were deployed. His remains were unidentified until September of 2023, when the Defense Department PMAA identified his remains. Received The Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal.