William H Accoo

Military
Staff Sergeant William Accoo of the 15th Air Force cleans a P-51 Mustang. Printed caption on reverse is damage: 'BIPPA, EA 35888. U.S. Mustang Flyers At Italian Base. Staff Sergeant William Accoo of Salen[sic], New Jersey, crew chief in a Negro group of the 15th U.S. Air Force, washes down the PP-51 Mustang fighter plane of his pilot with soap and water... to give it more speed. Mediterranean... Forces Photo PRO-HQ-44-2384. Serviced... London OWI (Inner... Certified... Passed by SHAEF Censor....' Printed media-458008.jpg FRE 10250 Staff Sergeant William Accoo of the 15th Air Force cleans a P-51 Mustang. Printed caption on reverse is damage: 'BIPPA, EA 35888. U.S. Mustang Flyers At Italian Base. Staff Sergeant William Accoo of Salen[sic], New Jersey, crew chief in a Negro group of the 15th U.S. Air Force, washes down the PP-51 Mustang fighter plane of his pilot with soap and water... to give it more speed. Mediterranean... Forces Photo PRO-HQ-44-2384. Serviced... London OWI (Inner... Certified... Passed by SHAEF Censor....' Printed caption also attached to reverse: '(CCU Photo). Competition is great among individual crew chiefs of the all Negro P-51 Mustang Fighter Group of the 15th Air Force in Italy, and it's never more evident than in this picture which shows S/Sgt. Wm. Accoo, 358 Keasby St., Salem, N.J., washing his plane down with soap and water. After this he will wax it.' On reverse: Mediterranean Allied Air Forces Photo and Crown Copyright [Stamps]. Roger Freeman Collection

IWM, Roger Freeman Collection

Object Number - FRE 10250 - Staff Sergeant William Accoo of the 15th Air Force cleans a P-51 Mustang. Printed caption on reverse is damage: 'BIPPA, EA 35888. U.S. Mustang Flyers...

William Accoo fought with distinction for the 332nd Fighter Group, 99th Fighter Squadron during its World War II campaigns in North Africa, Sicily and Italy. For his service he was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal of Honor in 2007 by Congressman Frank LoBiondoin Salem.



In the 1963 he was sworn in as Salem city's first black councilman, a position he held until 1966.

Connections

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Units served with

Events

Event Location Date Description

Born

14 October 1914

Died

27 August 2008 Aged 93
Salem, NJ, USA Exact dates not yet known

Other

Served in

Italy

Revisions

Date
Contributormvandemark
Changes
Sources

Updated unit information.

Date
ContributorLucy May
Changes
Sources

Obituary published in the Today's Sunbeam on August 29, 2008 has been reproduced on William Accoo's Findagrave entry: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=50930720

William H Accoo: Gallery (1 items)

Staff Sergeant William Accoo of the 15th Air Force cleans a P-51 Mustang. Printed caption on reverse is damage: 'BIPPA, EA 35888. U.S. Mustang Flyers At Italian Base. Staff Sergeant William Accoo of Salen[sic], New Jersey, crew chief in a Negro group of the 15th U.S. Air Force, washes down the PP-51 Mustang fighter plane of his pilot with soap and water... to give it more speed. Mediterranean... Forces Photo PRO-HQ-44-2384. Serviced... London OWI (Inner... Certified... Passed by SHAEF Censor....' Printed

Object number: FRE 10250 - Staff Sergeant William Accoo of the 15th Air Force...