Sergeant William Preston Bostic, An Airman's Story
.jpeg "Sergeant William Preston Bostic – Tuskegee Airmen WWII Service | Everyday Patriot")
Sergeant William Preston Bostic, An Airman's Story
William Preston Bostic was born on October 5, 1917, in Detroit, Michigan, at a time when America was rapidly industrializing, and the nation’s Black citizens were still navigating the harsh realities of segregation and limited opportunity. He came of age during the Great Depression, an era that shaped a generation marked by endurance, adaptability, and quiet resolve.
Bostic attended Ann Arbor High School before enlisting in the United States Army Air Forces on November 28, 1940, more than a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor formally drew the nation into World War II. His decision to enlist reflected both a sense of duty and a willingness to serve a country that did not yet offer him equal rights in return.
Assigned to the Tuskegee Airmen, Bostic became part of a groundbreaking group of African American servicemen whose excellence and perseverance would challenge deeply entrenched racial barriers within the U.S. military. He traveled to Alabama for training, entering a segregated system that demanded patience as much as skill. Like many servicemen of his era, Bostic spent long periods waiting for orders—an experience that tested morale even as it prepared soldiers for the unpredictability of war.
During this time, Bostic maintained a regular correspondence with Ruth Buchanan, affectionately known as “Aunt Ruth.” His letters—now preserved through the University of Michigan Heritage Project—offer a rare and intimate window into the daily life of a Black serviceman during World War II. In them, he wrote candidly about the frustration of waiting, the unexpected education that came from travel, and his hopes for the future. He joked about one day pestering his grandchildren with stories of his adventures, revealing a man who looked beyond the war even as he lived through it.
Bostic ultimately served in both the European and Pacific theaters, contributing to a global effort that reshaped the twentieth century. Though his individual missions may not be as widely documented as those of fighter aces or commanding officers, his service was no less essential. Like countless others, he formed part of the vast, coordinated human effort that sustained the Allied victory.
After the war, Sergeant Bostic moved to California, joining many veterans who sought new beginnings in the postwar West. He lived a long life, shaped by experience, service, and reflection, and passed away on November 14, 2002. His ashes were scattered in the Garden of Remembrance at El Toro Memorial Park in Lake Forest, California.
Sergeant William Preston Bostic’s story is one of quiet persistence and earned dignity. Through his service, his letters, and his willingness to endure both war and inequality, he stands as a representative of a generation that served faithfully, often without recognition, and helped bend the course of American history toward a broader understanding of courage and citizenship.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.
You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.
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