William H Accoo

Military
Staff Sergeant William Accoo of the 15th Air Force cleans a P-51 Mustang. Printed caption on reverse is damage: 'BIPPA, EA 35888. U.S. Mustang Flyers At Italian Base. Staff Sergeant William Accoo of Salen[sic], New Jersey, crew chief in a Negro group of the 15th U.S. Air Force, washes down the PP-51 Mustang fighter plane of his pilot with soap and water... to give it more speed. Mediterranean... Forces Photo PRO-HQ-44-2384. Serviced... London OWI (Inner... Certified... Passed by SHAEF Censor....' Printed

Object Number - FRE 10250 - Staff Sergeant William Accoo of the 15th Air Force cleans a P-51 Mustang. Printed caption on reverse is damage: 'BIPPA, EA 35888. U.S. Mustang Flyers...

William Accoo fought with distinction for the 332nd Fighter Group, 99th Fighter Squadron during its World War II campaigns in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. For his service he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor in 2007 by Congressman Frank LoBiondoin Salem.

In the 1963 he was sworn in as Salem city's first black councilman, a position he held until 1966.

Connections

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Units served with

A ground crewman of the 332nd Fighter Group, 15th Air Force on the tail of a P-51 Mustang. Written on slide casing: '332 FG.'

332nd Fighter Group

  • Unit Hierarchy: Group
  • Air Force: Twelfth Air Force Fifteenth Air Force
  • Type Category: Fighter

99th Fighter Squadron

  • Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
  • Air Force: Twelfth Air Force Fifteenth Air Force
  • Type Category: Fighter

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

14 October 1914

Died

27 August 2008 Aged 93
Salem, NJ, USA Exact dates not yet known

Other

Served in

Italy

Revisions

Date8 Oct 2017 18:28:50
Contributormvandemark
ChangesChanges to unit associations
Sources

Updated unit information.

Date24 Nov 2015 12:44:28
ContributorLucy May
ChangesCreated entry with surname, middlename, firstname, nickname, nationality, highest rank, role, biography, events and media associations
Sources

Obituary published in the Today's Sunbeam on August 29, 2008 has been reproduced on William Accoo's Findagrave entry: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=50930720

William H Accoo: Gallery (1 items)

Staff Sergeant William Accoo of the 15th Air Force cleans a P-51 Mustang. Printed caption on reverse is damage: 'BIPPA, EA 35888. U.S. Mustang Flyers At Italian Base. Staff Sergeant William Accoo of Salen[sic], New Jersey, crew chief in a Negro group of the 15th U.S. Air Force, washes down the PP-51 Mustang fighter plane of his pilot with soap and water... to give it more speed. Mediterranean... Forces Photo PRO-HQ-44-2384. Serviced... London OWI (Inner... Certified... Passed by SHAEF Censor....' Printed

Object number: FRE 10250 - Staff Sergeant William Accoo of the 15th Air Force...