 William
Perry was sworn into the Army Air Corps at Fort Leavenworth,
Kansas and attended aviation training at Glendale, Arizona
and Bakersfield California.
He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant and attended
flight school in South Carolina, Arkansas and was a
Basic Instructor, Link Trainer Officer, Security Officer
and served on the Advisory Training Board before attending
fighter pilot training at Fort Myers and Tallahassee,
Florida.
From there Perry was assigned to the 8th Air Force,
339th Fighter Group, 503rd Fighter Squadron in Fowlmere,
England. He flew 61 missions with 300 hours of combat
time.
After World War II, Perry had many assignments, including
Hospital Liaison Officer, Squadron Commanding Officer,
T-6 Flying Instructor and others.
During the Korean War, Perry was assigned to the 20th
Air Force in Okinawa as a Communication Staff Officer,
and flew the C-47 from Okinawa to Sole.
From there, Perry was reassigned to the Staff and
Command Communication Electronic Training Center at
Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Alabama. He then moved to
the Pentagon, Room 4A 284, serving in the Communications
Electronic Division.
 Perry attended Maryland University and earned a Bachelor
of Science Degree in Military Science before being
transferred to the 3rd Air Force in Ruislip, England
as C-F Staff Officer.
Perry then returned to Washington D.C. to the newly
formed Defense Communication Agency. From there, he
transferred back to the Pentagon — to the same
exact office as before, 4A 284 — before being
assigned to Vietnam.
In Vietnam, Perry flew the C-47 Gooney Bird, dropping
leaflets during the day and millions of candle flares
at night to provide light for the fighter attacks.
After returning to the US, Perry was assigned to Richard
Gebrur AFB, Missouri, where he was a Staff Officer
for the 10th Air Force Headquarters.
William Perry retired from military duty after 28
years of service and a total of more than six years
of overseas service.
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