4Mar1924 – 27Aug1943
Edison Days
William (Bill) withdrew from Edison in 1941.
Bill was a very successful amateur boxer prior to entering the Marines.
In 1942 Bill was the Lightweight Champion!
Billy was well known enough as a boxer that his entry into military service was covered in the local sports page.
Military Service
Branch: United States Marine Corps Reserve
Rank: Private First Class
Billy entered the Marine Corps on 16Sep1942. It is unknown where he attended basic training.
After basic training he was assigned to Marine Base Defense Aircraft Group Aircraft Group 42 (MBDAG-42). The unit’s mission was to provide air defense support for west coast Naval and Marine Corps installations and to conduct airborne search and patrol, transportation, air-sea rescue, and shipping escort operations along the Pacific Coast.
During 1943, the Group became responsible for training Marine aviators for combat operations in the Pacific Theater and relocated to Marine Corps Air Station Santa Barbara, California in March 1943.
On 27Aug1943 Billy was a crew member on a 2-seat SNJ-4 aircraft. The plane was making a routing flight to tow a cloth target behind the plane so that fighter pilots could practice their aerial gunnery skills. It was the pilot’s first time towing the target, and he misjudged its effect on aircraft performance. The plane stalled in flight and crashed. Both the pilot and Billy were killed.
Billy’s body was returned home, and he is buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery in Minneapolis, MN.
Edison Heroes 