William T Whittaker was a pilot with the 509th Bomb Squadron of the 351st Bomb Group. He flew 41 missions between 17 October 1944 and 26 March 1945.

His cousin Betty: "I have one of his stories I got a kick out of. Bill was shot down twice, the first time over Belgium. Bill was terrified of heights so he rode the plane down both times. A group of Belgium farmers found them. A member of Bill's crew could speak French so they were able to communicate a little. They were taken to a nearby Inn where they were hidden in the attic for 10 days."

"On the 10th day the Inn Keeper stuck his head up into the attic saying "British coming, British coming". Bill ran down to the middle of the road and flagged them down. When he was taken to the leader he explained who he was, what had happened, asked for a ride into Brussels and offered identification to prove who he was. The leader told him he didn't need any identification "only a crazy American would flag down an invading army and ask for a ride". It was a Canadian Army, not British as the Inn Keeper thought, so they were quite familiar with Americans. Sorry, I don't know what mission this happened on. Just remember how upset everyone was when Bill was reported MIA."

Bill stayed in the Air Force after the war ended until he retired in 1962. He then went back to school and after receiving his degree, he worked for NASA for a short time. He later returned to Texas and the air force base where he had completed his 20 years.

In his cousin Betty's words: "Bill was so proud of his service. Many years ago he was able to return to his old airbase for a reunion and it was the highlight of his life."

From a letter written by Colonel William H. Van Marter on 11 June 1963:
"Major William T Whittaker, USAF, AO-757350, served under my direct supervision from 15 December 1960 to 31 May 1963. I rate him among the top three percent of all officers I have known during twenty-two years of service."

"I found his character to be above reproach in all respects. He demonstrated a high degree of educability. He absorbs complex information quickly and possesses a remarkably retentive mind."

Service

Events

Event	Location	Date
Born	Ottawa, IL, USA	22 December 1923
Lived in	East Lincoln Street, Seneca, IL 61360, USA	1942
Graduated from Seneca High School	Seneca High School, 307 West Scott Street, Seneca, IL 61360, USA	May 1942
Enlisted	Chicago, IL, USA	19 May 1942
Promoted to First Lieutenant		1 October 1943
Based	Polebrook	October 1944 – March 1945
Lived in	Fort Worth, TX, USA	June 1963 – 1966
Graduated from Texas Wesleyan College	Texas Wesleyan University, 1201 Wesleyan Street, Fort Worth, TX 76105, USA	January 1966
Bachelor of Business Administration Degree in Management
Died	New Braunfels, TX, USA	25 April 2003