Billie Joe Williams

Vietnam War
Unit14th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron
RankLieutenant Colonel U.S. Air Force
Entered Service FromMalden Missouri
Date of DeathDecember 9 1972
StatusRecovered
Memorialized
Courts of the Missing
Court
A
Notes

Lieutenant Colonel Williams was a member of the 432d Tactical Reconnaissance Wing, 14th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron, 7th Air Force. On December 9, 1972, he was the pilot of a RF-4C Phantom Reconnaissance Fighter on a mission over North Vietnam when a surface-to-air missile reached the underside of the Phantom causing an explosion. His remains were recovered on September 13, 1990 and identified on December 17, 1990. His name is inscribed on the Courts of the Missing at the Honolulu Memorial.

rosetta medal
When an individual’s remains have been accounted for by the U.S. Department of Defense, a rosette is placed next to the name on the Wall/Tablet/Court of the Missing to mark that the person now rests in a known gravesite.