Willard served as a Sergeant, 500th Bomber Squadron, 345th Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Michigan prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on April 3, 1942 at Fort Custer, Michigan. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Driver and also as Single, without dependents.
Willard was a Passenger on C-47-DL "Eager Beaver" (#41-7733), 40th Troop Carrier Squadron, 317th Troop Carrier Group, U.S. Army Air Force.
Willard died in the "Line Of Duty" when the "Eager Beaver", shortly after take off, crashed for an unknown reason into Cleveland Bay southeast of Townsville, Queensland, Australia during the war.
He was originally interred in Brisbane, Australia and was later repatriated here on June 10, 1948.
Service # 36178495
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crew Members who perished on C-47-DL (#41-7733):
Wilson, Harold G ~ FO, Pilot, Kansas
Forrest, Robert W, Jr ~ FO, Co-Pilot, Utah
Cielinski, Thomas F ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, New York
Markel, David W ~ Corp, Radio Operator, Kansas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Passengers who perished on C-47-DL (#41-7733):
Arbogast, Donald H ~ M/Sgt, Washington
Braund, Delbert M ~ S/Sgt, Wisconsin
Butcher, Leo W ~ T/Sgt, Illinois
Caldwell, Grant W ~ T/Sgt, Florida
Crowley, Andrew J, Jr ~ T/Sgt, Pennsylvania
Cummins, Herman R ~ Sgt, Maryland
Dinneen, Rodney D ~ T/Sgt, Massachusetts
Doolittle, Arah L ~ M/Sgt, California
Dzury, Stephen D ~ T/Sgt, Pennsylvania
Fowler, Wilmer R ~ S/Sgt, Maryland
Hawver, Owen A ~ 1st Lt, Kansas
Huebner, Carl J ~ T/Sgt, Wisconsin
Hunter, Charles S ~ T/Sgt, Virginia
Lee, Francis M ~ M/Sgt, Iowa
McKenna, Laurence P ~ T/Sgt, Ohio
Rapp, Ezra E ~ T/Sgt, Idaho
Repass, William F ~ S/Sgt, Tennessee
Roberts, George A ~ T/Sgt, Texas
Simpson, Floyd M ~ Sgt, Arizona
Trebon, Venard H ~ Corp, Iowa
Tuttle, Charles W ~ S/Sgt, Massachusetts
Van Patten, Willard G ~ S/Sgt, Michigan
Zahora, Charles J ~ S/Sgt, Pennsylvania
(Bio & Crew Report by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Michigan prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on April 3, 1942 at Fort Custer, Michigan. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Driver and also as Single, without dependents.
Willard was a Passenger on C-47-DL "Eager Beaver" (#41-7733), 40th Troop Carrier Squadron, 317th Troop Carrier Group, U.S. Army Air Force.
Willard died in the "Line Of Duty" when the "Eager Beaver", shortly after take off, crashed for an unknown reason into Cleveland Bay southeast of Townsville, Queensland, Australia during the war.
He was originally interred in Brisbane, Australia and was later repatriated here on June 10, 1948.
Service # 36178495
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crew Members who perished on C-47-DL (#41-7733):
Wilson, Harold G ~ FO, Pilot, Kansas
Forrest, Robert W, Jr ~ FO, Co-Pilot, Utah
Cielinski, Thomas F ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, New York
Markel, David W ~ Corp, Radio Operator, Kansas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Passengers who perished on C-47-DL (#41-7733):
Arbogast, Donald H ~ M/Sgt, Washington
Braund, Delbert M ~ S/Sgt, Wisconsin
Butcher, Leo W ~ T/Sgt, Illinois
Caldwell, Grant W ~ T/Sgt, Florida
Crowley, Andrew J, Jr ~ T/Sgt, Pennsylvania
Cummins, Herman R ~ Sgt, Maryland
Dinneen, Rodney D ~ T/Sgt, Massachusetts
Doolittle, Arah L ~ M/Sgt, California
Dzury, Stephen D ~ T/Sgt, Pennsylvania
Fowler, Wilmer R ~ S/Sgt, Maryland
Hawver, Owen A ~ 1st Lt, Kansas
Huebner, Carl J ~ T/Sgt, Wisconsin
Hunter, Charles S ~ T/Sgt, Virginia
Lee, Francis M ~ M/Sgt, Iowa
McKenna, Laurence P ~ T/Sgt, Ohio
Rapp, Ezra E ~ T/Sgt, Idaho
Repass, William F ~ S/Sgt, Tennessee
Roberts, George A ~ T/Sgt, Texas
Simpson, Floyd M ~ Sgt, Arizona
Trebon, Venard H ~ Corp, Iowa
Tuttle, Charles W ~ S/Sgt, Massachusetts
Van Patten, Willard G ~ S/Sgt, Michigan
Zahora, Charles J ~ S/Sgt, Pennsylvania
(Bio & Crew Report by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Willard served as a Sergeant, 500th Bomber Squadron, 345th Bomber Group, U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.
He resided in Michigan prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on April 3, 1942 at Fort Custer, Michigan. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Driver and also as Single, without dependents.
Willard was a Passenger on C-47-DL "Eager Beaver" (#41-7733), 40th Troop Carrier Squadron, 317th Troop Carrier Group, U.S. Army Air Force.
Willard died in the "Line Of Duty" when the "Eager Beaver", shortly after take off, crashed for an unknown reason into Cleveland Bay southeast of Townsville, Queensland, Australia during the war.
He was originally interred in Brisbane, Australia and was later repatriated here on June 10, 1948.
Service # 36178495
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crew Members who perished on C-47-DL (#41-7733):
Wilson, Harold G ~ FO, Pilot, Kansas
Forrest, Robert W, Jr ~ FO, Co-Pilot, Utah
Cielinski, Thomas F ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, New York
Markel, David W ~ Corp, Radio Operator, Kansas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Passengers who perished on C-47-DL (#41-7733):
Arbogast, Donald H ~ M/Sgt, Washington
Braund, Delbert M ~ S/Sgt, Wisconsin
Butcher, Leo W ~ T/Sgt, Illinois
Caldwell, Grant W ~ T/Sgt, Florida
Crowley, Andrew J, Jr ~ T/Sgt, Pennsylvania
Cummins, Herman R ~ Sgt, Maryland
Dinneen, Rodney D ~ T/Sgt, Massachusetts
Doolittle, Arah L ~ M/Sgt, California
Dzury, Stephen D ~ T/Sgt, Pennsylvania
Fowler, Wilmer R ~ S/Sgt, Maryland
Hawver, Owen A ~ 1st Lt, Kansas
Huebner, Carl J ~ T/Sgt, Wisconsin
Hunter, Charles S ~ T/Sgt, Virginia
Lee, Francis M ~ M/Sgt, Iowa
McKenna, Laurence P ~ T/Sgt, Ohio
Rapp, Ezra E ~ T/Sgt, Idaho
Repass, William F ~ S/Sgt, Tennessee
Roberts, George A ~ T/Sgt, Texas
Simpson, Floyd M ~ Sgt, Arizona
Trebon, Venard H ~ Corp, Iowa
Tuttle, Charles W ~ S/Sgt, Massachusetts
Van Patten, Willard G ~ S/Sgt, Michigan
Zahora, Charles J ~ S/Sgt, Pennsylvania
(Bio & Crew Report by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
He resided in Michigan prior to the war.
He enlisted in the Army on April 3, 1942 at Fort Custer, Michigan. He was noted, at the time of his enlistment, as being employed as a Driver and also as Single, without dependents.
Willard was a Passenger on C-47-DL "Eager Beaver" (#41-7733), 40th Troop Carrier Squadron, 317th Troop Carrier Group, U.S. Army Air Force.
Willard died in the "Line Of Duty" when the "Eager Beaver", shortly after take off, crashed for an unknown reason into Cleveland Bay southeast of Townsville, Queensland, Australia during the war.
He was originally interred in Brisbane, Australia and was later repatriated here on June 10, 1948.
Service # 36178495
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crew Members who perished on C-47-DL (#41-7733):
Wilson, Harold G ~ FO, Pilot, Kansas
Forrest, Robert W, Jr ~ FO, Co-Pilot, Utah
Cielinski, Thomas F ~ S/Sgt, Engineer, New York
Markel, David W ~ Corp, Radio Operator, Kansas
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Passengers who perished on C-47-DL (#41-7733):
Arbogast, Donald H ~ M/Sgt, Washington
Braund, Delbert M ~ S/Sgt, Wisconsin
Butcher, Leo W ~ T/Sgt, Illinois
Caldwell, Grant W ~ T/Sgt, Florida
Crowley, Andrew J, Jr ~ T/Sgt, Pennsylvania
Cummins, Herman R ~ Sgt, Maryland
Dinneen, Rodney D ~ T/Sgt, Massachusetts
Doolittle, Arah L ~ M/Sgt, California
Dzury, Stephen D ~ T/Sgt, Pennsylvania
Fowler, Wilmer R ~ S/Sgt, Maryland
Hawver, Owen A ~ 1st Lt, Kansas
Huebner, Carl J ~ T/Sgt, Wisconsin
Hunter, Charles S ~ T/Sgt, Virginia
Lee, Francis M ~ M/Sgt, Iowa
McKenna, Laurence P ~ T/Sgt, Ohio
Rapp, Ezra E ~ T/Sgt, Idaho
Repass, William F ~ S/Sgt, Tennessee
Roberts, George A ~ T/Sgt, Texas
Simpson, Floyd M ~ Sgt, Arizona
Trebon, Venard H ~ Corp, Iowa
Tuttle, Charles W ~ S/Sgt, Massachusetts
Van Patten, Willard G ~ S/Sgt, Michigan
Zahora, Charles J ~ S/Sgt, Pennsylvania
(Bio & Crew Report by: Russell S. "Russ" Pickett)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Inscription
SSGT, 500 AAF BOMB SQ WORLD WAR II
Gravesite Details
S/SGT AIR COPRS WW II
