The Everyday Patriot Project

Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. Willis was born on 7 September 1886 to R. Henry, a teacher, and Jesse Willis. He attended the Citadel, graduating in 1908. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Willis was first ordered to the 6th Infantry, and on 1 January 1910, his unit deployed to Mindanao, Philippines. He was accepted into the Signal Corps Flight School and became a military aviator. Lieutenant Colonel Robert Willis was stationed at Fort Sill, OK, Fort Sam, TX, and Columbus, New Mexico, with the First Aero Squadron. He flew during the Mexican Expedition, crashing twice. After one, realizing that his plane was totaled, he set fire to it and walked 65 miles back to San Antonio with a broken ankle. On 1 September 1918, Lieutenant Colonel Robert Willis was ordered to become the Chief of Air Service of the Seventh Army Corps but died on 13 September from an accidental weapons discharge. General Pershing wrote a letter to his father, praising Lieutenant Colonel Robert H. Willis, referring to hi...

Sergeant William Preston Bostic was born in Detroit, Michigan, on October 5, 1917. Sergeant William Bostic attended Ann Arbor High School and enlisted in the US Army Air Forces on November 28, 1940, in response to World War II. He was assigned to the Tuskegee Airmen and headed to Alabama for training and deployment orders. Ruth Buchanan, also known as "Aunt Ruth," wrote Sergeant Bostic. Sergeant William Bostic wrote in his letters that he was tired of waiting to get orders. He also spoke of how enlightening travel is and pestering his future grandchildren with stories. Those letters can be found at the University of Michigan Heritage Project here:  https://heritage.umich.edu/stories/dear-aunt-ruth/ He ultimately served in both the European and Pacific theaters. After the war, Sergeant William Bostic moved to California and died on November 14, 2002. His ashes were scattered in the Garden of Remembrance at the El Toro Memorial Park in Lake Forest, California. * Read a...