A B-24 gunner in the ill-fated 492nd Bomb Group killed during a costly raid on Germany

A B-24 gunner in the ill-fated 492nd Bomb Group killed during a costly raid on Germany
An antitank gunner posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for his actions during the Battle of Leyte
A Ranger from Wilmington killed in action in Normandy on D+1
A career sailor who served aboard a famed American cruiser lost in the dark opening months of the Pacific War
A plumber/pipefitter turned Army Air Forces firefighter caught up in a tragic accident at an airfield in Italy
A career soldier with over two decades' service in the segregated U.S. Army who boarded an ill-fated flight when he was rotated home from the Pacific
A member of an antiaircraft unit whose ship fell victim to a U-boat while returning to attend Officer Candidate School
William J. Harden c. 1943 (Courtesy of the Delaware Public Archives) ResidencesCivilian OccupationBorn in Maryland, raised in DelawareStudentBranchService NumbersU.S. Army Air ForcesEnlisted 12054590 / Officer O-681855TheaterUnitMediterranean737th Bombardment Squadron (Heavy), 454th Bombardment Group (Heavy)AwardsCampaigns/BattlesAir Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Purple HeartEuropean strategic bombing campaign Early Life & Family William Joseph Harden was born in Westernport, …
Continue reading 2nd Lieutenant William J. Harden (1921–1944)
A nurse destined to become the only servicewoman from Delaware to die overseas during World War II
A high school football star turned tank crewman killed in action during the drive on Rome