Lucky Bag Yearbook

From the 1942 Lucky Bag:

WILLIAM LOUIS PETERSON, JR.

Pete

Football 4, 2, NA; Boxing 4. 3, 2, bNt; Baseball 4,3; 2 Stripes.

Pete’s constant sparring with the Exec Department gave him plenty of practice in the sport in which he excels. He could quote batting averages on any baseball player in any league and was quick to defend his native California. Pete must have had a little of the Scotch in him because he certainly spent less during his stay at the Academy than anyone else.

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The Class of 1942 graduated on December 19, 1941, less than two weeks after the United States entered World War II. The class had previously been scheduled to graduate in February 1942.

Loss

From Class History: 1942¹:

On 10 August 1945, during one of the last raids on Honshu, Bill Peterson was killed. Among his several exploits, he had managed to destroy one Japanese airplane.

He was flying a F6F-5 Hellcat with Fighting Bombing Squadron (VFB) 87.

Other Information

From researcher Kathy Franz:

William was born in New York City. In September 1928, William, his mother Louise, and brother John sailed on a ship from San Francisco to Boston. In 1930 his father was a Navy Lieutenant stationed in San Diego; he had enlisted in December 1921. In 1942, William Jr. was a patient being sent from Pearl Harbor to San Francisco. His home address then was Miami Beach, Florida.

William is remembered at the Courts of the Missing in Hawaii.

Photographs

From the Lucky Bag

Photograph from Find A Grave, likely from USS Ticonderoga (CV 14) cruise book. Source

Distinguished Flying Cross

From Hall of Valor:

(Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Lieutenant William L. Peterson, Jr. (NSN: 0-123436), United States Navy, was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross (Posthumously) for extraordinary achievement while participating in aerial flight as Pilot of a Fighter-Bombing Plane in Fighting-Bombing Squadron EIGHTY-SEVEN (VFB-87), Air Group 87, embarked in U.S.S. TICONDEROGA over the Japanese homeland on 10 August 1945.

General Orders: Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 355 (October 1946)
Action Date: August 10, 1945
Service: Navy
Rank: Lieutenant
Company: Fighting Bombing Squadron 87 (VBF-87)
Division: U.S.S. Ticonderoga

References