Sergeant WILLIE ODELLE RIGDON 38185035,

Sergeant WILLIE ODELLE RIGDON 38185035, US Army Air Corps. He is the husband of Joyce Morrison Rigdon, and son of Mr. and Mrs. Willie Monroe Rigdon, of Haynesville. He was born December 27, 1921, and attended Haynesville High School and Louisiana Polytechnic Institute. On July 9, 1942, he entered the Army at the age of 20. He went to Sheppard Field, Texas, for basic training and airplane mechanics school. He received aircraft instruments training at Chanute Field, Rantoul, Illinois, gyro-instruments training at Sacramento Air Depot, California, and overseas training at Baker Field, Oregon. He embarked August 20, 1943, for England where he served with the 8th Air Force and 9th Air Forces (B-24 aircraft). He served with P-47 Thunderbolts at Bath and Ashford, England, St. Marie Demont, LeMans, Epinal, and Rheims, France, Louvain in Belgium, and in Germany (ETO). He was in the Campaigns of Normandy, Northern France, the Rhineland, and Central Germany. He has the Distinguished Service Unit Badge (PUC). Discharged October 22, 1945. He is also the brother of Sergeant ALVIN RIGDON, KIA, Gunner’s Mate Third Class RAYMOND CECIL WILSON, Corporal RAY C. RIGDON.

Source:

1- THE FIGHTING MEN OF LOUISIANA – LOUISIANA HISTORICAL INSTITUTE – 1946

2- https://aad.archives.gov/aad/record-detail.jsp?dt=893&mtch=1&cat=all&tf=F&q=WILLIE+RIGDON&bc=sd&rpp=10&pg=1&rid=7186740