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William Frank Waters Jr. |
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William Frank
Waters Jr.
Lieutenant (jg)William Frank Waters was born on June 17, 1924 in
Cedartown, Georgia and graduated from Cedartown High School.
Frank entered Naval Service in June, 1942, as an aviation cadet under
the
V-5 program. He received pre-flight training at Athens, Georgia, and
flight training at Olathe, Kansas and Corpus Christi, Texas. He left
for overseas duty in January, 1944.
Frank was killed in action on June 15, 1945 when he was shot down over
Ishigaki Jima. This was the second time he was shot down and had
spent a night on a life raft after that incident.
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Pictured (L-R) Thomas Jerome Connelly, William Frank
Waters Jr. and Vernon L. Tebo. These VC-97
squadron pilots were all lost in action and the photos show above were
included in the VC-97 Farewell Book. |
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Memory by Millard Greer Here is a little personal information as how
I remember Frank Waters.
Across from our house in the 1940s was a large field where all the kids
would play football, fly kites, etc. I remember my brother Barney and
Frank would often practice kicking a football barefooted! They both
loved tennis and at times I would help them clean up around the tennis
court, which at that time was clay.
My mother had Frank over to our house for a big meal one day. I do
not recall the exact date or time but I do remember Frank was seated
across from me wearing the white uniform of a Navy officer. On his chest
was the beautiful golden wings of a pilot! It was hard for me to eat for just looking at him.
Some time after this meal I was standing in our front yard as Frank left
our house and started up the hill. As he walked passed me he ran his
hand through my hair! I watched him walk up the street until he went
out of site never to return. That memory has remained in my mind until this day and seems like it was
just yesterday. Respectfully,
Millard Greer
Cedartown, Georgia
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Pictured (L-R) Barney Nation, Millard Greer and
Patricia Nation. Huntsville, Alabama April 1, 2012 |
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Lt. Frank Waters wrote a letter to
his best friend Barney Nation the day before Air Squadron VC-97 was
commissioned. He describes his thoughts and feelings about being
assigned to fly the new FM2 Wildcat as a fighter pilot. Click on the
following link to read Lt William Frank
Waters' letter dated 1944-03-07
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June 15, 1945
At 1300H, 5 TBM Avengers and 8 FM-2 Wildcats were launched for targets at
ISHIGAKI and MIYARA airfields. AA positions in the town of OHAMA and AA
positions seen earlier in a ravine about 1,200 yards north of the northern
end of the NE-SW runway of ISHIGAKI Airfield, Lieutenant (jg) William F.
Waters flying a FM-2 fighter was hit by AA fire coming from the ravine or
the town of OHAMA. His plane burst into flames and was seen to crash
into buildings and trees, approximately 2,500 yards north of the E-W
runway. He was not seen leaving the airplane before the plane made
ground impact.
Account provided by: Fredio Samples,
Wings Over Sakishima, Page-94 |
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JB Cody Journal |
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JB Cody Journal - The
journal page shown above documents the events of June 15, 1945 including
the loss of fighter pilot Lt. Waters. Click [here]
to view JB Cody's complete journal. |
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A gravestone marker for William
Frank Waters Jr. is in the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific
located on the island of Oahu in Honolulu, Hawaii. His interment
date is noted as March 10, 1949. The photograph shown above was
provided by Manuel Merino. |
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2023-06-09 The National Memorial Cemetery
of the Pacific. The photo shown above and the photos provided in the
following link were provided by Shari Nearing. [More
Photos] [Cemetery
Website] |
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William Frank Waters Jr. Flag |
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William Frank Waters' flag shown in the
original shipping box from the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. |
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William Frank Waters' flag was shipped
home to his mother in Cedartown, Georgia on May 15, 1949. |
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National Museum of the Pacific
War - Fredericksburg, Texas |
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2011-06-18
A memorial dedication was held on June 18, 2011 at the National Museum
of the Pacific War in Fredericksburg, Texas. Air Squadron VC-97 crew
members Robert Tuggle Jr., Vernon L Tebo, and Warren H Loyd were honored
along with USS Shipley Bay (CVE-85) Catapult Crewman Philip W Nearing.
The dedication included full military honors presented by the United
States Navy and United States Marines. The photo above was taken at
sunrise showing the entrance to the Memorial Courtyard where the
dedication was held.
[ Memorial
Dedication Ceremony ] |
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A memorial plaque for William
Frank Waters Jr. was set in the limestone wall of the Memorial Courtyard. |
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