JAMES W. WILLS, JR., CAPT, USAF
James Wills, Jr. '50
Lucky Bag
From the 1950 Lucky Bag:
JAMES WASHINGTON WILLS, JR.
La Plata, Maryland
If there is any chance of a party going on in the vicinity, one will always find easygoing Jim either instigating or else playing an important role in the general proceedings. When Jim first saw the light of day, it was not merely sunlight but also Dame Fortune smiling down upon him. Active in sports year 'round, we will remember the Golden Toe for his uninterrupted string of extra points during the fall season. In the winter you will find him in the squash courts practicing his back hand for the coming spring. This is when Jim really comes into the limelight. As an important member of the Tennis Team we will remember Jim for his never-ceasing will to win.
JAMES WASHINGTON WILLS, JR.
La Plata, Maryland
If there is any chance of a party going on in the vicinity, one will always find easygoing Jim either instigating or else playing an important role in the general proceedings. When Jim first saw the light of day, it was not merely sunlight but also Dame Fortune smiling down upon him. Active in sports year 'round, we will remember the Golden Toe for his uninterrupted string of extra points during the fall season. In the winter you will find him in the squash courts practicing his back hand for the coming spring. This is when Jim really comes into the limelight. As an important member of the Tennis Team we will remember Jim for his never-ceasing will to win.
Loss
From Find A Grave:
USNA Class of 1950, Captain Wills was the pilot of a F-84E Thunderjet fighter with Headquarters Squadron, 49th Fighter-Bomber Group. On April 12, 1953, while on a combat mission, after completing a bomb run, his aircraft crashed. His remains were not recovered.
Awarded: Distinguished Flying Cross, Purple Heart, Air Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Korean Service Medal, Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation, United Nations Service Medal, Republic of Korea War Service Medal
Obituary
From The Baltimore Sun on April 20, 1953:
More than 60 Missions
Lt. Wills, member of the distinguished Maryland family which established an estate in Southern Maryland in colonial times, was 25 years old and had flown more than 60 missions at the time of his death.
Long a devotee of flying, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Force immediately after his graduation from the Naval Academy in 1950 and had been overseas since October, 1951. In his last letters home he had expressed his continuing enthusiasm for his assignment and had said he wanted to complete 100 missions before giving thought to being sent home.
Before his last mission he had been made operations officer for the 474th Fighter-Bomber Group, flying in support of troops and on missions to destroy enemy bridges, communications and supplies.
Born in Charles County
The elder of two sons of Mr. and Mrs. James W. Wills, Lt. Wills was born in the family home, La Grange, in Charles county, one of the show places on the annual spring tours sponsored by the Federated Garden Clubs of Maryland. The home was to have been visited next Sunday as part of the 1953 Charles county pilgrimage, but has been withdrawn from the itinerary because of the news of the death.
Difference Brought Victory
After elementary schooling in parochial schools in Charles county, young Wills attended the Georgetown Preparatory School in Garrett Park, Md. His skill on the football field was apparent even then and the youth was made captain of the team there.
He spent a year in the Bullis Naval Preparatory School before his appointment to Annapolis. Although he was only five feet 8 inches tall and weighed 165 pounds, the young midshipman developed such skill as a placekicker that on several occasions his precision accounted for the difference between a Navy victory and defeat.
The midshipman injured his knee in 1948 and did not return to football during his Annapolis career but continued his athletic interests and was captain of the Navy’s tennis team in 1950. Lt. Wills received his flight training and earned his wings at Goodfellow Air Base, San Angelo, Texas, before going on for instruction in jet flying at Williams Air Base, Chandler, Arizona.
Ordered Overseas
After an additional training assignment at Nellis Air Base, Las Vegas, Nev., he was ordered overseas. During the first ten months of his overseas assignment he was based in Japan, his first Korean mission being in September of last year.
Besides his parents, James and Julia, he is survived by a young brother, Private Julian Blacklock Wills, now attending the Army Security School in Fort Bevens, Massachusetts.
From researcher Kathy Franz:
At Georgetown Preparatory School, Class of 1945: Varsity football, 2, 3, 4; Varsity Basketball 2, 4 – Futures 1; Baseball 2, 3, 4 – J. V. 1; St. John Berchman’s Society 1, 2, 3, 4. The Society members served the daily Students’ Masses, assisted in yearly feasts, and many were taught the rubrics and Latin of the Mass.
James has a memory marker in Maryland.
Photographs
From The Baltimore Sun on April 20, 1953
Related Articles
James Bowers '50, Hamilton McDowell, Jr. '50, Wilbur Spradling, Jr. '50, Edward Hotz, Jr. '50, Cedric Peterson, Jr. '50, Lorenzo Daleo '50, George Duncan, Jr. '50, and Christopher Braybrooke '50 were also graduated from pilot training class 51-E, Williams AFB, Arizona, on August 4, 1951. (Sixty-seven Naval Academy graduates completed this class.)
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
