Beals William D.

Monuments

The Monument to the Aviation Martyrs in the War of Resistance Against Japan

Name:

William D. Beals

Rank:

First Lieutenant

Serial Number:

O-1179509

Unit:

9th Bomber Squadron, 7th Bomber Group, Heavy

Date of Death:

1945-03-22

State:

New Jersey

Cemetery:

Manila American Cemetery, Taguig, Philippines

Plot:

Walls of the Missing

Row:

Grave:

Decoration:

Air Medal, Purple Heart

Comments:

William D. Beals was born in 1917. He was the son of Allen Edward Beals and Bessie W. "Bond" Beals. William was flying as an observer on B-24J #42-73437 assigned to the 10th Air Force, 7th Bombardment Group, 9th Bombardment Squadron. They were flying as part of a group of planes to bomb targets on Great Coco Island in the Indian Ocean. Moderate anti-aircraft fire was encountered and Beals' plane was hit. The plane winged over to the right and went almost vertically into the ocean. There were no survivors. He was declared "Missing in Action" on March 22, 1945 and is commemorated on the Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines.

He was one of over 2000 Americans who lost their lives defending China from their Japanese invaders from 1941-1945. He is also commemorated on the The Monument to the Aviation Martyrs in the War of Resistance Against Japan in Nanjing, China but death date is inscribed as 1944-11-13.