William Marsh Bower (February 13, 1917 – January 10, 2011) was an American aviator,

U.S. Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Sign ...

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

and veteran of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

. Bower was the last surviving

pilot An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...

(e.g., aircraft commander) of the

Doolittle Raid The Doolittle Raid, also known as the Tokyo Raid, was an air raid on 18 April 1942 by the United States on the Japanese capital Tokyo and other places on Honshu during World War II. It was the first American air operation to strike the Japa ...

, the first air raid to target the Japanese home island of

Honshu , historically called , is the largest and most populous island of Japan. It is located south of Hokkaidō across the Tsugaru Strait, north of Shikoku across the Inland Sea, and northeast of Kyūshū across the Kanmon Straits. The island se ...

Biography

A native of

Ravenna, Ohio Ravenna is a city in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is located east of Akron. It was formed from portions of Ravenna Township in the Connecticut Western Reserve. The population was 11,323 in the 2020 Census. It is the county seat of Por ...

, Bower graduated from Ravenna High School in 1934. He attended Hiram College and

Kent State University Kent State University (KSU) is a public research university in Kent, Ohio. The university also includes seven regional campuses in Northeast Ohio and additional facilities in the region and internationally. Regional campuses are located in ...

from 1934 until 1936. Bower then joined the Ohio National Guard 107th Cavalry, based in Ravenna, from 1936 to 1938. In 1940, Bower graduated from the U.S. Army Air Corps Flying School and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force on October 4, 1940, with a rating of

Army Aviator An army aviation unit is an aviation-related unit of a nation's army, sometimes described as an air corps. These units are generally separate from a nation's dedicated air force, and usually comprise helicopters and light support fixed-wing airc ...

. In October 1940, Bower joined the 37th Bomb Squadron, based at

Lowry Field Lowry Air Force Base (Lowry Field in 1938–1948) is a former United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) training base during World War II and a United States Air Force (USAF) training base during the Cold War, serving as the initial 1955–1958 si ...

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

. He then transferred to the

17th Bombardment Group The 17th Bombardment Group is an inactive United States Air Force unit. The group was last stationed at Hurlburt Field, Florida. The Group is a direct successor to the 17th Pursuit Group, one of the 15 original combat air groups formed by the ...

, headquartered at

McChord Field McChord Field is a United States Air Force base in the northwest United States, in Pierce County, Washington. South of Tacoma, McChord Field is the home of the 62d Airlift Wing, Air Mobility Command, the field's primary mission being worldwi ...

Washington Washington commonly refers to: * Washington (state), United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A metonym for the federal government of the United States ** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered o ...

, in June 1941. In the months following the

Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service upon the United States against the naval base at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Territory of Hawaii, ju ...

, Bower volunteered for the first American aerial attack on Japan. The air raid, which came to be called the

, after Lieutenant Colonel

James "Jimmy" Doolittle James Harold Doolittle (December 14, 1896 – September 27, 1993) was an American military general and aviation pioneer who received the Medal of Honor for his daring raid on Japan during World War II. He also made early coast-to-coast flights ...

, took place on April 18, 1942. Bower piloted one of the sixteen B-25B Mitchell medium bombers that took off from the to attack cities on Honshu. Bower and his five-member crew bombed the city of

Yokohama is the second-largest city in Japan by population and the most populous municipality of Japan. It is the capital city and the most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a 2020 population of 3.8 million. It lies on Tokyo Bay, south of T ...

during the raid. They parachuted out of their B-25 over China during the night, which was his first jump from an airplane. They were taken in by Chinese villagers until rescue by the Americans. His mother, Kathryn Bower, was informed by Lt. Colonel Jimmy Doolittle that Bower had survived the attack approximately one month later. Eleven members of the Doolittle Raid were killed or captured. Bower and the other crew members were brought from China back to

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. In June 1942, Bower and twenty-two other participants in the Doolittle Raid received the Distinguished Flying Cross during a reception held at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in ...

. The city of Ravenna declared July 3, 1942, as "Bill Bower Day." Bower married his wife, Lorraine (''nee'') Amman, in the lobby of the Lady Lafayette Hotel in

Walterboro, South Carolina Walterboro is a city in Colleton County, South Carolina, United States. The city's population was 5,398 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Colleton County. Walterboro is located west of Charleston and is located near the ACE Basin r ...

, on August 18, 1942. The couple had two sons and two daughters during their marriage. Bower remained in the U.S. Army Air Forces throughout World War II, achieving the rank of

colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge o ...

. He commanded the

428th Bombardment Squadron The 428th Bombardment Squadron is an inactive United States Air Force unit. Its last assignment was with the 310th Bombardment Wing at Schilling Air Force Base, Kansas, where it was inactivated on 1 January 1962. The squadron had been activate ...

during the war and served in

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

, including the allied invasion of

North Africa North Africa, or Northern Africa is a region encompassing the northern portion of the African continent. There is no singularly accepted scope for the region, and it is sometimes defined as stretching from the Atlantic shores of Mauritania in ...

, and the

European Theater The European theatre of World War II was one of the two main theatres of combat during World War II. It saw heavy fighting across Europe for almost six years, starting with Germany's invasion of Poland on 1 September 1939 and ending with the ...

, including

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, until September 1945. He became an accident investigator following the end of World War II and transferred to the newly established

in 1947. He also served as a commander of a U.S. Air Force transport organization in the

Arctic The Arctic ( or ) is a polar region located at the northernmost part of Earth. The Arctic consists of the Arctic Ocean, adjacent seas, and parts of Canada (Yukon, Northwest Territories, Nunavut), Danish Realm (Greenland), Finland, Iceland, N ...

and commanded

Dobbins Air Force Base Dobbins Air Reserve Base or Dobbins ARB is a United States Air Force reserve air base located in Marietta, Georgia, a suburb about northwest of Atlanta. Originally known as Dobbins Air Force Base, it was named in honor of Captain Charles M ...

Marietta, Georgia Marietta is a city in and the county seat of Cobb County, Georgia, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 60,972. The 2019 estimate was 60,867, making it one of Atlanta's largest suburbs. Marietta is the fourth larges ...

. He was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and two

Air Medal The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight. Criteria The Air Medal was establish ...

s during his career. He moved to Boulder, Colorado, in 1966 with his wife and their four children. He lived in south Boulder, in the upper Table Mesa neighborhood, until his death on January 10, 2011, at the age of 93, after suffering from complications from a fall in June 2009. He was survived by two sons, two daughters and six grandchildren. His wife, Lorraine, predeceased him in 2004. He and his wife Lorraine are buried at

Arlington National Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery is one of two national cemeteries run by the United States Army. Nearly 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington, Virginia. There are about 30 funerals conducted on weekdays and 7 held on Sa ...

. The Colonel William Marsh Bower Center opened in the

Portage County Regional Airport Portage County Airport , also known as Portage County Regional Airport, is a public use airport in Portage County, Ohio, United States. It is owned by the Portage County Airport Authority and located three nautical miles (6 km) north o ...

in Shalersville Township, north of Ravenna, in June 2013. Bill Bower Park, a 1.7 acre green space with playground equipment and located in Bower's south Boulder neighborhood, was opened by the city in fall 2014.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bower, Bill 1917 births 2011 deaths United States Air Force colonels Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Recipients of the Air Medal United States Army Air Forces bomber pilots of World War II People from Boulder, Colorado People from Ravenna, Ohio Military personnel from Ohio Doolittle Raiders Burials at Arlington National Cemetery Military personnel from Colorado