William Lackey "Billy" Pearce was born on September 6, 1921, in Dallas, Texas. He was the son of Ed D Pearce and D'Alva Hale Pearce.

1Lt Pearce was serving in the 309th Troop Carrier Squadron, 315th Troop Carrier Group, at the time of his death. He was a member of a five-man crew on a C-47A #42-93029 Skytrain cargo.

On September 21, 1944, after leaving the drop zone, the plane crashed. Pearce and his crewmates had just dropped off 15 Polish paratroopers south of Arnhem when flames started shooting from their C-47 plane. According to eyewitness accounts, the plane crashed and burned before anyone could escape.

In 1945 and 1946, Dutch citizens recovered some of the remains of the soldiers and buried them in a nearby cemetery. A few years later, U.S. military officials moved them to Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Kentucky. Buried under a single stone are the remains of Pearce as well as his four crewmates: 1st Lt. Cecil W. Biggs of Teague, Texas; 2nd Lt. Thomas R. Yenner of Kingston, Pa., and Staff Sgt. George G. Herbst of Brooklyn, N.Y., TSgt Abendschoen of York, T.X. 1Lt Pearce's is now buried in Zachary Taylor Nationa Cemetery, but now in a seperate plot.

Source of information: http://arlingtoncemetery.net, www.americanairmuseum.com, https://monument.marketgarden.com, https://www.baltimoresun.com