William Richard Verzole was born on April 4, 1921 in New York. He served in the 308th Bombardment Group as a Staff Sergeant during World War II. 1st Lt Kenneth S Starcher and his crew (including Ssgt Verzole) were lost on a 'routine' flight from Lingling Airbase on the late afternoon of 28 May 1944, departing during conditions 'overcast with thunderstorms'. The crew of B-24J #42-73309 'Trouble Maker'(v1) were lost somewhere on the short flight to Kweilin; the report lists the cause of the loss as 'unknown'. The crew are all listed KNB (died non-combat mission). William is now buried in the Saint Mary's Cemetery, DeWitt, Onondaga County, New York, USA. He was one of over 2000 Americans who lost their lives defending China from their Japanese invaders from 1941-1945. He is 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 1944-05-27.