Menu
  • Abous us
  • Search database
  • Resources
  • Donate
  • Faq

McCrary Billy Y.

Name:
Billy Y. McCrary
Rank:
First Lieutenant
Serial Number:
O-674696
Unit:
679th Bomber Squadron, 444th Bomber Group, Very Heavy
Date of Death:
1944-09-08
State:
Fflorence American Cemetery, Impruneta, Italy
Cemetery:
Manila American Cemetery, Taguig, Philippines
Plot:
Walls of the Missing
Row:
Grave:
Decoration:
Air Medal, Purple Heart
Comments:

Billy Y. McCrary entered the military service in Florida. He served in the 679th Bomber Squadron, 444th Bomber Group, Very Heavy as a First Lieutenant and Bombardier of an aircraft during World War II. Billy was lost in the Yellow Sea on September 8, 1944, on a mission to Anshan, China, aboard a B-29 bomber, #42-6234. Three other crew were killed when they bailed out prematurely into the ocean, but seven who parachuted out over land were rescued and taken care of for a time by Chinese villagers, at great risk to the villagers given the Japanese occupation. The survivors were eventually returned to an American base. But of the men who bailed into the ocean, sadly no trace has ever been found.

He was declared dead on February 25, 1946 and is commemorated on the Walls of the Missing, Manila American Cemetery, Taguig City, Philippines. Billy 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.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov