William Edward Pinion was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee to William James Pinion and Edna Inez Smith.
Died 2 April 1945
Second Lieutenant
Air Corps
2nd Lt William (Bill) Pinion had flown his required number of missions and was ready to return home. His commanding officer asked for volunteers to continue the missions and Billy volunteered to fly one more. He was killed in a B-25 over the Island of Formosa on that mission.
2nd Lt William Pinion is buried at Zachary Taylor National Cemetery in Kentucky together with T/Sgt Robert E. Marshall, T/Sgt Harry A. Neff, 1st Lt Thomas J. Paul Jr, 1st Lt Frank J. Rearden Jr. and S/Sgt Gordon P. Stone. 2nd Lt William Pinion returned from Scholfield Mausoleum #2 T.H. in 1950.
The Chattanooga Daily Times, 25 January 1950
Funeral services for Lt. William E. Pinion, 26, son of Mr. and Mrs. W.J. Pinion of Chattanooga, will be held at Taylor National Memorial Cemetery, Louisville, Ky., Feb. 2, when the plane crew with which he crashed at Kagi, Formosa, is buried as a group. Lt. Pinion enlisted in the air corps in 1942 and received his wings in 1944. At the time of his death he had just completed 46 missions and 10 months overseas. He had been awarded the Purple Heart, and the Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster for meritorious achievement in the Southwest Pacific.
Lt. Pinion was a graduate of Chattanooga High School in the class of 1937, and he attended the University of Chattanooga. Prior to entering the service he was employed by TVA. He was a member of St. Elmo Baptist Church.
He is survived by his parents; one sister, Mrs. William J. Cheney; two brothers, Jack H. and Daniel R. Pinion, and one nephew, Thomas Guinn Craighead III.
- Rank: Second Lieutenant
- Date of birth: 31 March 1919
- Date of death: 2 April 1945
- County: Hamilton
- Hometown: Chattanooga
- Service Branch: Army/Army Air Forces
- Theater: Pacific
- Conflict: World War II
- Awards: Purple Heart, Air Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster
- Burial/Memorial Location: Zachary Taylor National Cemetery, Louisville, Jefferson County, Kentucky
- Location In Memorial: Pillar X, Bottom Panel
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