William Rudolph Hitztaler was born on April 19, 1919 in a small a coal-mining town in western Pennsylvania. After graduating from high school, he joined the Army in 1937 and was stationed at Lowry Field. In December of 1941, he received his wings as Sergeant Pilot in the new Army Air Corp and married LaVerda Luhn of Denver. He piloted the C-47, transporting troops to North Africa and England. On D-Day, June 6, 1944, his plane was shot down just after he had dropped his paratroopers behind enemy lines. His plane was shot down after it had circled to return to England. A French family hid Mr. Hitztaler in a farmhouse until arrangements could be made for his safe passage. At one point, German soldiers knocked on the door looking for a cooking grate, and saw Mr. Hitztaler at the dinner table. But they didn't suspect he was an American soldier. Although injured while parachuting, he managed to eventually return to his unit. On the same day, his younger brother, Tony, a paratrooper, was killed. When the war ended, Bill was a highly decorated officer, earning The Purple Heart and The Distinguished Flying Cross. After the war, Mr. Hitztaler's military flying career continued, transporting supplies, high-ranking officers, even U.S. senators. His USAF career lasted for 23 years and thousands of global flights, retiring as a Lt. Col in 1960.

His second aviation career brought him back to Denver as an Air Carrier Operation Inspector for the FAA, assigned to United Airlines. After 21 years, he retired in 1981, but continued with United Airlines as a part-time DC-10 aircraft flight instructor and evaluator.

LTC Hitztaler died on July 26, 2004 in Colorado at the age of 85 and is now buried in the Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Denver County, Colorado, USA.

Source of information: www.findagrave.com