William Wyatt Patton, Jr. was born on January 10, 1918, in Stella, Missouri. He was the son of William Wyatt Patton and Rhoda F Gold Patton.

William Wyatt, Jr. was a graduate of Midway High School in Stella, Mo. After graduating he served in the military for 11 years and was at Pearl Harbor when it was attacked.

1Lt. Patton was flying combat in 1944 out of Wormingford, England. On January 15, 1945, he took off from Station 159 (Wormingford) for a mission to Germany. While flying a weather mission, 1Lt Patton lost contact with his leader following a 180° in the fog around 11:15. He was reported missing in action over La Longueville, France.

On February 22, 2001, fifty-six years later, a French farmer was digging a drainage ditch near a train station in La Longueville, when he discovered a P-51 Mustang. Upon excavation, it was discovered a WWII pilot wearing dog tags of 1Lt Patton. A DNA analysis was performed and the body, formally identified, returned to the family.

1Lt Patton is now buried in the Springfield National Cemetery, Springfield, Greene County, Missouri. His name is permanently inscribed on the Tablets of the Missing, Ardennes American Cemetery, Neupré, Belgium.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com, www.abmc.gov, francecrashes39-45.net