Army Air Corps veteran Bob Williams was honored at the Leesburg Moose Lodge after turning 100 earlier this month.
The former major who also served as the executive director of the YMCA in Chicago for 25 years, participated in a Flightless Honor Flight on June 23. A resident of the American House retirement community in Wildwood, Williams was unable to attend the event.
But that didn’t stop the special celebration from taking place. Those in attendance cut a birthday cake in Williams’ honor and he received a letter of appreciation from U.S. Rep. Daniel Webster, who represents Florida’s 11th Congressional District.
Williams, a native of Denison, Texas, enlisted in the Army Air Corps in January 1943 and underwent basic training at Kelly Air Force Base in San Antonio. He qualified for Officer Candidate School in Miami and became a commissioned officer.
Williams’ first assignment was as the physical fitness officer at Harvard
Army Air Field in Nebraska for pilots and crewmembers being trained for B-29 combat missions in Europe. After the war ended in Europe, Williams was assigned to the 313th Bombardment Wing on Tinian Island in the Pacific, where the atomic bomb run originated that targeted Hiroshima in 1944.
In addition to working with the YMCA, Williams also enjoyed a career in
in real estate sales. He was married for 53 years and is the father of three sons. He also has six grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.
