William Joseph Kelly Jr. didn’t decide to sign up for the United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) at age 21 – Uncle Sam decided for him. During the World War II era, enlistment in the military was mandatory. “If you were physically fit, you went,” said Mr. Kelly, inducted July 15, 1941, at Fort Meade (From 1926 to 1941, USAAC was the predecessor of the U.S. Army Air Forces, today’s U.S. Air Force.) Four days later, the young man transferred as a Private to Luke Field, Ariz. and was assigned to the 74th Air Base Group.


