William J. McGowan was born July 26, 1920, in Benson, Minnesota to Joseph C. and Mary E. (Donnelly) McGowan. Known familiarly as "Bill", he completed his final year of high school at Saint Thomas Military Academy in St. Paul in 1937 and, after attending the University of Minnesota and University of Colorado, graduated from the University of Missouri's School of Journalism in September 1942. Following graduation Bill worked for United Press in Madison, Wisconsin followed by a stint as editor of the Swift County Monitor-News, his father's newspaper, before reporting to the Army Air Corps for training in early February 1943.

Following extensive training, McGowan received his 2nd Lieutenant commission and pilot wings at Eagle Pass, Texas in December 1943. He then went to Harding Field, Baton Rouge, Louisiana for fighter pilot training in the P-47. While there he married fellow Minnesotan and longtime girlfriend Suzanne "Suki" Schaefer February 5, 1944, at the base chapel. In April 1944 he shipped off to England and shortly after arriving was deployed with the 366th Fighter Group as a P-47 pilot in the 391st Fighter Squadron, based at RAF Thruxton, Hampshire. Lt. McGowan made ten sorties and four combat missions as part of a number of P-47 fighter sweeps over France leading up to the D-Day invasion. On June 6, 1944, while on his 3rd mission of the day, Lt. McGowan's P-47 was hit while leading a flight of P-47's strafing the railroad station at Lison, located approximately 10 miles southwest of Omaha Beach. The plane crashed in a field near the village of Moon-sur-Elle. Not yet 24-years old, Lt. McGowan was survived by Suki, his wife of just 4 months, as well as his parents and younger sisters, Patricia and Mary Jo.

For nearly 75-years, Lt. McGowan had been listed as Missing-In-Action given the severe nature of the crash and subsequent fire. Following an extensive site in 2018, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA) announced on May 13, 2019, that the remains of Lieutenant McGowan had been positively identified. Lt. McGowan was posthumously awarded the Air Medal and Purple Heart. The delayed internment of Lt. McGowan's remains due to the pandemic took place in France in 2022 at the Normandy American Cemetery, Colleville-sur-Mer with numerous family and friends in attendance. The ceremony also included the placement of a rosette next to his name on the Walls of the Missing indicating Lt. McGowan's remains have been recovered. The burial of Lt. McGowan at Normandy American Cemetery was only the 2nd since the cemetery was dedicated in 1956.
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(July 9, 2022) – U.S. Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. William J. McGowan was laid to rest at Normandy American Cemetery (NAC) today, nearly 80 years after he was killed during operations in France during World War II on June 6,1944.
Source: Find a Grave