William Marsh Bower (1917 - 2011)

Born 13 Feb 1917 in Ravenna, Portage, Ohio, United States

Ancestors

Died 10 Jan 2011 at age 93 in Boulder, Colorado, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Kurt Potter [send private message]

Biography

William Bower is Notable.

William Bower was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States).

William Bower was awarded the Bronze Star Medal.

William Bower was awarded the Air Medal.

Colonel William Bower served in the United States Army Air Corps in World War II
Service started:
Unit(s):
Service ended: 1966

William was born in 1917. He was the son of Kathryn Marsh. He passed away in 2011.

William Marsh Bower was an American aviator, U.S. Air Force Colonel and veteran of World War II. Bower was the last surviving pilot (e.g., aircraft commander) of the Doolittle Raid on April 18, 1942, the first air raid to target the Japanese home island of Honshu.

In the months following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Bower volunteered for the first American aerial attack on Japan. The air raid, which came to be called the Doolittle Raid, after Lieutenant Colonel James "Jimmy" Doolittle, took place on April 18, 1942. Bower piloted one of the sixteen B-25B Mitchell medium bombers that took off from the USS Hornet to attack cities on Honshu.

In June 1942, Bower and twenty-two other participants in the Doolittle Raid received the Distinguished Flying Cross during a reception held at the White House. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and two Air Medals during his career.

Sources

• Wikipedia Page: [1]
• United States Social Security Death Index via FamilySearch.org [2]
• Memorial: Find a Grave (has image)
  Find A Grave: Memorial #64017099 (accessed 29 April 2024)
  Memorial page for COL William Marsh Bower (13 Feb 1917-10 Jan 2011), citing Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA (plot: Section 54 Lot 2650-1); Maintained by Billy Budd (contributor 51223934).
• Wikidata: Item Q3378631, en:Wikipedia