William G. Ford was born on December 28, 1916. He served in the 861st Bomber Squadron, 493rd Bomber Group, Heavy, as a Staff Sergeant and Waist Gunner on the B-17G #43-38232 'Proud Pappy' during World War II. He was Killed in Action when his B-17 was shot down over Germany on November 25, 1944. The flight began smoothly, but the weather was bad over the target, and the flak was heavy. Proud Pappy was hit and exploded over Muschwitz, which is about 30 km southeast of Merseburg. Seven crew members were killed, and two others were taken as prisoners.

SSgt Ford is now buried in the Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia, USA.

The crew that day were John Miller, Chas Steindorf, Dan Zimmerman, Bob Karlson, Luther Hackman, Bill Ford, Bill Burns (7 Killed in Action); Jose Gonzales, Harry Kellermeyer (2 Prisoner of War).

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.americanairmuseum.com