16 Facts About Bill Bower

William Marsh Bower was an American aviator, US Air Force Colonel and veteran of World War II.

Bill Bower attended Hiram College and Kent State University from 1934 until 1936.

Bill Bower then joined the Ohio National Guard's 107th Cavalry, based in Ravenna, from 1936 to 1938.

In 1940, Bill Bower graduated from the US Army Air Corps Flying School and was commissioned a second lieutenant in the US Army Air Corps on October 4,1940, with a rating of Army Aviator.

In October 1940, Bill Bower joined the 37th Bomb Squadron, based at Lowry Field in Denver, Colorado.

Bill Bower then transferred to the 17th Bombardment Group, headquartered at McChord Field, Washington, in June 1941.

Colonel Jimmy Doolittle that Bill Bower had survived the attack approximately one month later.

Bill Bower remained in the US Army Air Forces throughout World War II, achieving the rank of colonel.

Bill Bower commanded the 428th Bombardment Squadron during the war and served in Africa, including the allied invasion of North Africa, and the European Theater, including Italy, until September 1945.

Bill Bower became an accident investigator following the end of World War II and transferred to the newly established US Air Force in 1947.

Bill Bower served as a commander of a US Air Force transport organization in the Arctic and commanded Dobbins Air Force Base in Marietta, Georgia.

Bill Bower was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and two Air Medals during his career.

Bill Bower moved to Boulder, Colorado, in 1966 with his wife and their four children.

Bill Bower lived in south Boulder, in the upper Table Mesa neighborhood, until his death on January 10,2011, at the age of 93, after suffering from complications from a fall in June 2009.

Bill Bower was survived by two sons, two daughters and six grandchildren.

The Colonel William Marsh Bill Bower Center opened in the Portage County Regional Airport in Shalersville Township, north of Ravenna, in June 2013.