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The pilot of Lieutenant Willy’s plane was Lieutenant Joseph P. Kennedy, oldest brother of future President John F. Kennedy. Lieutenant Kennedy was also awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for this mission.

Awards Received

  • Navy Cross

    Service:

    United States Navy

    Rank:

    Lieutenant

    Batallion:

    Bombing Squadron 110 (VB-110)

    Division:

    Special Air Unit 1 (Europe)

    Action Date:

    August 12, 1944

    Bureau of Naval Personnel Information Bulletin No. 338 (May 1945)

    The President of the United States of America takes pride in presenting the Navy Cross (Posthumously) to Lieutenant Wilford John Willy (NSN: 0-137078), United States Navy, for extraordinary heroism in operations against the enemy while serving as Co-Pilot of a Navy Liberator Patrol Plane in Bombing Squadron ONE HUNDRED TEN (VB-110), Special Air Unit ONE (Europe), during a special air mission directed at Mimoyecques, France, on 12 August 1944. Well knowing the extreme dangers involved and totally unconcerned for his own safety, Lieutenant Kennedy unhesitatingly volunteered to conduct an exceptionally hazardous and special operational mission. Intrepid and daring in his tactics and with unwavering confidence in the vital importance of his task, he willingly risked his life in the supreme measure of service, and, by his great personal valor and fortitude in carrying out a perilous undertaking, sustained and enhanced the finest traditions of the United States Naval Service.