Posted by XXXXXX on April 21, 2008:

William Thomas O'Connell, Jr. NO. 16727 CLASS OF 1948 KILLED IN ACTION. JULY 28, 1950, NEAR KONJU, KOREA AGED 24 YEARS "OKIE" was one of the pitifully small group of men in the dark beginning days of the Korean War to whose lot fell the task of holding the overwhelming tide sweeping down on South Korea until our full strength could be mustered against the enemy. The deeds of the brave men like Okie who bore the initial brunt in Korea make one of the finest chapters ever written of heroism, courage, and devotion to duty in the face of terrible odds. Those of us who carry on will ever be mindful of the supreme sacrifice made by those who failed to return; we can never forget that their sacrifices were made for us and for our loved ones. Okie died just as all who were privileged to know him knew he would die — if such were God's will—fighting, all the way, and with every ounce of energy his mind and body could give until he had drawn his last breath. On Sunday, 25 June 1950, Okie was on maneuvers with the 13th Bombardment Squadron of the Fifth Air Force in Japan. It is quite probable that he had just returned from church services that morning when he heard the first news flash of the North Korean invasion. Okie was always intensely religious and would not miss church merely because of maneuvers if he could possibly help it. As his chaplain in Japan wrote afterward: "Bill could remember the time and place for Sunday Mass; he never went AWOL on God." Events moved rapidly in those first few days, and within hours after the first American troops were rushed to Korea, Okie flew his B-26 Invader Attack Bomber on its first support mission of the war. Several missions later, on the 5th of July, Okie's name was flashed across the country as the pilot of the plane that shot down the first Russian-built Yak fighter in Korea. Okie flew many missions in that first month of the war, blasting roads, bridges, supply dumps, and other military targets of opportunity to support the hard-pressed ground troops withdrawing toward the Pusan Perimeter. Who can guess how many lives were saved or how much valuable time and supplies were lost to the enemy in those critical days because of the efforts of pilots like Okie who flew their sorely needed missions around the clock? On 28 July 1950, a Friday morning, Okie took off for another mission over enemy territory. It was to be his last, but he was to accomplish his mission and strike a final severe and defiant blow at the enemy before the end. On the way over, the four planes in his flight encountered bad weather and had to split up their formation to fly through the clouds. They broke through the weather and completed a successful bombing run over Taejon about noon. Before returning to their base, the planes were to go down to low altitudes and attack targets of opportunity. Okie headed north along the road out of Taejon. Just beyond the village of Kongju, twenty miles from Taejon, where the road crosses the Kum River, he spotted six enemy tanks on the north side of the bridge. The following account of the attack was written by an eyewitness crew member of another plane in the flight: Okie had about 300 or 400 feet of altitude when he started his run on the tanks. He fired about eight rockets, and it looked as if all tanks received direct hits. Meanwhile, he was machine gunning the tanks too. The tanks made an exceptionally good target, as they were all grouped together in one spot. There were two straw huts that were set on fire, where the tank crew-men had run for cover. Just as Okie was over the north end of the bridge, I noticed his air speed slowing down. About one-half mile from the bridge his left engine caught fire, and he 'feathered' the engine. At the time over the bridge, he was approximately fifty to one hundred feet in the air. He managed to regain some altitude, but then it looked as if he started to lose altitude again. He continued to lose altitude for about a mile or mile and a quarter. He was approaching three ridges. I could not tell how high the ridges were, nor how high Okie was, due to the fact that our ship was almost directly over Okie's now, and just a little behind. Okie cleared the first hump, but his left wing tip hit the second ridge, and the ship cartwheeled into the third ridge. The plane crashed at 1212 Tokyo Standard Time on July 28th." Okie was officially listed as "missing in action" until 29 July 1951. During that tortuous year, his family and riends hoped, prayed, and searched for any thread of evidence that might indicate Okie had survived the crash. But long hours of pouring over enemy news releases and photographs, anxious nights of listening to radio broadcasts, and countless letters to persons across the Pacific as well as in the United States, all were in vain. A solemn Requiem Mass for the repose of the soul of Lieutenant William T. O'Connell, Jr., was offered on 8 September 1951, in Okie's own church, Saint Agnes in New York City, by the Right Reverend Monsignor George C. Murdock, who was Okie's chaplain and great friend during his cadet days at West Point. Okie's remains were recovered in the wreckage near Kongju in February 1952. The funeral was held in the Chapel at Fort Myer, Virginia, on 3 March 1952, and interment was in Arlington National Cemetery. Okie was born in New York City where he attended Saint Agnes School and Regis High School. He entered West Point cm 1 July 1944, only a few days after graduating from high school, and graduated in the Class of 1948. He flight-trained at Randolph Field, Texas, and Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, where he received his wings in September 1949. He sailed to Japan two months later and was assigned to the 13th Bombardment Squadron at Yakota Air Force Base near Tokyo. He served with the same squadron until his death eight months later in Korea. Okie was twenty four years of age when he flew his last mission. He is survived by his parents, Mr. and Mrs. William T. O'Connell, Sr., two younger brothers, John and Arthur, and a younger sister, Therese. Okie made a great many friends while he was at West Point. His classmates will always remember his ready store of Irish songs and tales which helped to while away the idle hours more pleasantly in barracks and summer camp. They will also remember his athletic prowess that sparked many a team victory in basketball, football, handball, and boxing. And, perhaps most outstanding, they will never forget Okie's dedication to a religious way of life and unfaltering service to his church throughout his cadet career. Okie loved West Point, he loved the service of his country, and he loved his country's ideals of justice, freedom, and personal dignity. He gave his life nobly in defense of those ideals. He was a loyal and true friend. His was an indomitable spirit that never failed to inspire those around him in times of trial as well as in times of good fortune — a spirit that first showed itself in Plebe Barracks and carried him through to the final hour in Korea. It may be said, "Okie, Well Done; Be thou at peace." Though God has willed that your course on earth is run, we will think of you often until we meet again. — His Classmates

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