SSGT William O. Wood

On August 1, 1943 a B-24 Liberator aircraft gunned by 25-year-old SSGT William O. Wood of the United States Army Air Forces' 328th Bombardment Squadron (93rd Bombardment Group, 8th Air Force) was shot down by enemy fire during Operation TIDAL WAVE. This Operation was the largest bombing mission against the oil fields and refineries at Ploiesti, Romania during WWII. His remains were never accounted for. During this time, unidentified military members were buried as Unknowns in the Hero Section of the Civilian and Military Cemetery of Bolovan, Ploiesti, Prahova, Romania. After WWII, the American Graves Registration Command disinterred all American remains from the Bolovan Cemetery for identification. Despite their efforts, more than 80 unknowns from that cemetery remained unidentified and were later reinterred at American Cemetery and Henri-Chapelle American Cemetery, both in Belgium. In 2017, The Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency began exhuming unknowns believed to be associated with unaccounted-for airmen from Operation TIDAL WAVE. These remains were sent to the DPAA Laboratory at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, for examination and identification. Scientists from the DPAA and the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System employed anthropological analysis, circumstantial evidence, mitochondrial DNA, Y chromosome DNA, and autosomal DNA analysis to assist with identification. On May 12, 2022, SSGT William O. Wood’s remains were identified and accounted for because of the collaborative efforts of the DPAA and the AFMES. His name was previously recorded on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery in Italy, along with others still missing from WWII. A rosette can now be placed next to his name to indicate he has finally been accounted for. On August 1, 2022 Bevis Funeral Home will have the highest honor of escorting SSGT Wood to his final resting place, 79 years later: Tallahassee National Cemetery. All are invited to join us there at 2:00 PM as the United States Army Honor Guard assists us with paying our respects to a hero no longer unknown. SSGT William O. Wood, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your dutiful service and sacrifice. We are indescribably proud to be entrusted with your care. "As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." - President John F. Kennedy May you soon rest in peace, SSGT.

Tributes

SSGT William O. Wood

April 19, 1918 - August 1, 1943