WILLIAM F. (BILL) KING
Patriot, Chapter 1919
Army, WWII, Europe
William F. King was
born in Reno, Texas in 1919. He enlisted in the Army from Fort Worth, Texas
and was sworn into service on July 3, 1940 at the Induction Center in
Dallas. He was assigned to the 2nd Infantry Division as a member of Service
Company, 9th Infantry Regiment at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio where the
division was stationed in 1940 and 1941.
The division participated in several maneuvers in Texas
and Louisiana until November 27, 1942 when they moved to Camp McCoy,
Wisconsin for winter training. In September 1943 the 2nd Infantry Division
was moved to Camp Shanks, New York and then sailed from the New York Port of
Embarkation on October 8th. They arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland
October 17, 1943 and trained for the invasion. The division moved to the
port of Bournemouth on the southern coast of England just before D-Day.
Bill’s 9th Infantry was sent across the channel by LST (landing ship,
transport) and landed at Omaha Beach on D+1, June 7, 1944, where they were
immediately committed to combat.
Over the coming months, Bill participated in the
Normandy, Northern France, and Rhineland campaigns, and was awarded the
Combat Infantryman's Badge in August and the Bronze Star Medal in October
1944. He was awarded the Purple Heart for wounds sustained on August 12,
1944 during the fighting for Brest in the Crozon Peninsula of Northern
France.
At the end of the war in Europe, Bill was returned to the
United States. On June 24, 1945, Technical Sergeant, T-5 William King was
discharged at the Separation Center at Fort Sam Houston and returned home to
Fort Worth.
After being out of service for only a few months, he
reenlisted in the Army Air Force, and then remained on active duty until
December 31, 1961 when he retired from the U.S. Air Force. He then was
employed with Texas Instruments in Dallas where he worked for a second
career. Retired from Texas Instruments August 31, 1984, Bill lived the rest
of his life in Crockett, Texas, where he was involved in his church work.
William F. (Bill) King
died June 23, 2008, aged 88 years, survived by: his wife, Anna; son, William
F. King, Jr., and wife Cecilia; and by two grandsons and two
great-grandchildren.
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