During World War II, William Kemp became a U.S. Army Air Forces ACE, credited with shooting down 6 enemy aircraft in aerial combat. In the action that earned him the Distinguished Service Cross he netted two of those victories, and was one of the few pilots of the war to break up a vastly superior attacking enemy fighter flight while wounded, and flying a badly-damaged aircraft that was out of ammunition. Subsequently, before his tour ended, he gained four more victories.