Obituaries: 1st Sgt. James Raymond Willis, 1943, Winn Parish, LA Submitted by Greggory E. Davies, 120 Ted Price Lane, Winnfield, LA 71483 ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** From: Winn Parish Enterprise (December 30, 1943, September 7, 1944, July 26, 1945, and December 18, 1947) Sikes Radio Gunner Missing (12-30-1943 issue) A message from the war department last Thursday informed Mr. and Mrs. William A. Willis of Sikes that their son, 1st Sgt. James Raymond Willis, 20 years of age, has been declared missing in action since December 11. Sgt. Willis has been serving in England for the past two months as radio operator and gunner in the Army Air Corps. He graduated from the Sikes High School in 1941 and entered service December 1, 1942. He received combat training with the Army Air Forces heavy bombardments units, after which he was assigned as an expert assistant radio operator and gunner on a Flying Fortress. He was awarded his wings in August of 1943 at Geiger Field, Washington. His brother, Relton, a radio operator in the ground forces of the Army Air Corps, is serving somewhere in the Southwest Pacific. He has five sisters, Mrs. Gertrude Parker of Sikes, Miss Oleta Willis of Washington, D. C., Mary Ellen, Janel, Gloria Jean, all of Sikes; three other brothers, Lloyd Willis of Monroe, Bennie and Lennie of Sikes. Sgt. J. R. Willis Of Sikes Killed In Action Dec. 11 (9-7-1944 issue) Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Willis of Sikes were notified by the war department last Thursday that their son, Sgt. James R. Willis, who was previously reported missing in action, was killed on the 11th of December, 1943, the date he was missing. His death occurred in the European theatre of war. Willis, a radio operator and gunner in the army air corps, had been stationed in England two months prior to his death. He entered service Dec. 1, 1942, and received his wings at Geiger Field, Washington. Surviving besides his parents are a brother, Relton, Army Air Corps radio operator in the Southwest Pacific; three other brothers, Lloyd of Monroe, Bennie and Lennie, Sikes, and five sisters, Mrs. Gertrude Parker, Sikes; Miss Oleta Willis, Washington, D. C.; Mary Ellen, Janel, and Gloria Jean of Sikes. Pilot Writes Of Heroism of Waist Gunner J. R. Willis (7-26-1945 issue) Sikes Youth Destroyed At Least One Plane After He Was Wounded A letter to Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Willis of Sikes from Lt. Clyde L. Hughes of Birmingham, Ala., describes the heroism of their son, Sgt. J. R. Willis, who lost his life in defending his ship and country over Germany on December 11, 1943. Lt. Hughes, pilot of the plane on which Sgt. Willis served as radioman and waist gunner, wrote the following: "July 19, 1945 "Dear Mrs. Willis, "Thank you very much for your letter. I realize that I should have written you before, but I just didn't have anything definite to tell you. However, I will tell you everything I know. "Jimmie was our radioman and his combat position was right waist gunner. It takes a good gunner to man the position that was his. But Jimmie had all that it took to fill his position and on the last fight, he proved that he had a lot more. "Insofar as I had to stay at the controls until the last, I did not have an opportunity to get back where your son was. However, Sgt. Kenneth Wheeler, the left gunner, was there and he told me everything he knew. On the strength of his report and what I knew of Sgt. Willis, I made a request for an award to be made to his memory. I do hope that recognition will be made for what I feel to be an act of valor and heroism. "On the flight, all of the fighter attacks came in from the right hand side, the side defended by your son. Sgt. Wheeler offered to spell Sgt. Willis but your son refused, he felt that it was his job. The concussion knocked him to the floor of the plane. Still he arose, and took over his gun and continued to defend his ship. As a result of his heroism, at least one German fighter was destroyed by Sgt. Willis after his being severely wounded. "I put a claim for aircraft destroyed in his name. Because of the action, our ship was able to fight her way in to the target and drop her bombs before finally going down. I cannot but feel that he quite possibly saved the lives of those who survived. Sgt. Wheeler further states that all he could do was to put a parachute on Jimmie while he stood firing at attacking aircraft. At that time the ship exploded and he does not know what happened further. "I know this is a poor return for your son's life, but I thought you would like to know that he died a hero's death, defending his country and his family. I am proud to remember that I flew with him. "In case that you hear anything at all, I would appreciate it if you would let me know. And in the event that I get down to Louisiana, I will certainly see you. I just wish that I could tell you this in person. "Thank you again for your letter. I sincerely regret that I have no more definite news for you. If I learn anything, I'll let you know without delay. "Sincerely Yours, "Clyde L. Hughes, 2nd Lt., A. C." Mr. and Mrs. Willis have two other sons who have been defending their country. T/Sgt. A. R. Willis has recently returned to the States after 35 months in the Pacific Theatre of operations, and has been given an honorable discharge. His brother, William Lloyd Willis, is serving with the Navy in the Pacific. Letter From Holland Tells of Willis' Death (12-18-1947 issue) After waiting more than for years to learn details of the death of their son, Sgt. James R. Willis, Mr. and Mrs. W. A. Willis of Sikes recently received a letter from a native of Amersfoort, Holland, which gave an account of how Sgt. Willis met his death and told of the simple burial services performed by Holland citizens in the small Dutch town of Amersfoort in the northeast section of Holland. Information previously received from the War Department showed that Sgt. Willis was killed in action on December 11, 1943 when his plane was shot down in Europe. The Willis family was at first notified that he was missing in action, but a report from the War Department in September, 1944, informed them that he had been killed. Sgt. Willis, a radio operator and gunner in the Army Air Corps, had been stationed in England two months prior to his death. He entered service Dec. 1, 1942, and received his wings at Geiger Field, Washington. He was 20 years of age at the time of his death. The letter received recently from B. Kijkmeijer of Amerstfoort, Holland, follows: "Amersfoort, Holland "10 November, 1947 "Dear Family Willis: "As I know something abo0ut the death and funeral of Mr. James R. Willis, I feel it is my duty to write to his family. I am four years over due, but I hope you will forgive me. The matter is that I have a name plate of Mr. James R. Willis. That same plate was lost and now that I was at home on holiday, my Mother had found it back by spring cleaning. "And now that I have made up my mind to write it to you and to ask you whether you would like to have it back then I will gladly send it to you. All the time the plate was lost I dared not to write to you. But now I am very glad that my mother found it back, and I hope you will forgive us that it was lost. You probably know that our country has suffered very hard from the war and during all that time we had only interest in our own troubles and forgot all about you. Above all I beg you pardon that we have lost it. I will now do my utmost for you and tell you all I know about Mr. James R. Willis. "I hope you will soon write back to me and then I will gladly answer all your questions as far as I can do. If there are mistakes in my letter, I hope you will forgive me, too, for I am just a beginner in learning your language. "The principal think to tell you is that Mr. James R. Willis and some other flyers of who I have also the addresses, were shot down above our little village, Finsferwolde, in the province of Groningen, some eight miles from the German frontier. That is in the northeast part of our country. The accident took place in December, 1943. "As my father is a carpenter he was told by the burgomaster to make the coffins and to bury them. The funeral took place on Tuesday, December 14th at the back of our village. The men who buried them were the burgomaster, some assistants, my father and also a clergyman who spoke some words at the grave of the dead flyers who had done their duty. "When my father came home he gave me the plate, which he had found at one of the flyers, whose name was James R. Willis. The other two had no plate at all and the fourth one had neither plate nor papers, so that he had been buried as an unknown flyer. "That is all for the present. I shall wait for your reply and shall write once more. Please write soon back to me and tell me your real name and address. Perhaps I then can do something more for your and the other families. "Now I say good by and I hope you will appreciate my writing to you. "With kindest regards, "Yours Sincerely, "B. Dijkmeijer "Jan Toorop Str. I "Amersfoort, Holland"