County Honors WW II Vet Williams
September 21, 2016 at 8:02 p.m.
By Dan [email protected]
But Malcolm Williams’ recounting of his military experience included a subtle sense of humor over an event that included a momentary sense of bad luck followed by perseverance and success.
On Tuesday, the Kosciusko County Commissioners honored Williams for his service in the U.S. Navy that led him to his involvement in helping patrol the Marshall Islands during World War II.
Williams, 97, enlisted in the Navy as an aviation cadet in 1942 and was a navigator in a patrol squadron, flying amphibious PBY Catalinas.
He participated in several dangerous long-range missions deep into Japanese-held defenses, said Rich Maron, the county’s veterans affairs officer, who summarized Williams’ military career before a large crowd of family, friends and county officials Tuesday at the county courthouse.
In one of the missions, a crew member was injured and the PBY was forced down into the open sea off the shore of a Japanese-held base.
They intentionally sunk the plane to avoid detection, and for three days the crew of nine survived in life rafts, waiting for rescue.
Another nine-member PBY crew found them, but the plane’s wing was damaged upon landing.
Now, there were 18 crew members avoiding Japanese detection, Maron told the crowd, eliciting a few laughs.
As fate would have it, another rescue effort went better, but then the seas were too rough for take off, so the Navy sent a ship to get the 27 PBY crew members.
“Only by sheer determination and fortitude displayed by all members of the crew prevented capture by the enemy and led to their subsequent rescue,” Maron said.
Williams later became a lieutenant and received a pilot’s license.
He returned to his home in Swayzee, east of Kokomo, and married his sweetheart, Shirley, in 1952. He then began a farming business that continued until retiring in 1986.
Williams and his family were frequent visitors to Lake Wawasee since the 1940s and the couple purchased a lake home in 1980, and eventually retired to the lake community.
Today, four generations of the Williams family live in the Syracuse area.
He and his wife now live at Peabody Retirement Community.
And even at the age of 97, he continues to play golf at Tippecanoe Country Club.
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But Malcolm Williams’ recounting of his military experience included a subtle sense of humor over an event that included a momentary sense of bad luck followed by perseverance and success.
On Tuesday, the Kosciusko County Commissioners honored Williams for his service in the U.S. Navy that led him to his involvement in helping patrol the Marshall Islands during World War II.
Williams, 97, enlisted in the Navy as an aviation cadet in 1942 and was a navigator in a patrol squadron, flying amphibious PBY Catalinas.
He participated in several dangerous long-range missions deep into Japanese-held defenses, said Rich Maron, the county’s veterans affairs officer, who summarized Williams’ military career before a large crowd of family, friends and county officials Tuesday at the county courthouse.
In one of the missions, a crew member was injured and the PBY was forced down into the open sea off the shore of a Japanese-held base.
They intentionally sunk the plane to avoid detection, and for three days the crew of nine survived in life rafts, waiting for rescue.
Another nine-member PBY crew found them, but the plane’s wing was damaged upon landing.
Now, there were 18 crew members avoiding Japanese detection, Maron told the crowd, eliciting a few laughs.
As fate would have it, another rescue effort went better, but then the seas were too rough for take off, so the Navy sent a ship to get the 27 PBY crew members.
“Only by sheer determination and fortitude displayed by all members of the crew prevented capture by the enemy and led to their subsequent rescue,” Maron said.
Williams later became a lieutenant and received a pilot’s license.
He returned to his home in Swayzee, east of Kokomo, and married his sweetheart, Shirley, in 1952. He then began a farming business that continued until retiring in 1986.
Williams and his family were frequent visitors to Lake Wawasee since the 1940s and the couple purchased a lake home in 1980, and eventually retired to the lake community.
Today, four generations of the Williams family live in the Syracuse area.
He and his wife now live at Peabody Retirement Community.
And even at the age of 97, he continues to play golf at Tippecanoe Country Club.
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