William was a Lieutenant Junior Grade with the United States Navy .... he was a Naval Pilot stationed on Whidby Island, Washington, USA.
He was on a training mission with another pilot when his jet slammed into the side of a hill .... he and his fellow pilot,
Fritz Meier, were killed instantly.
He was only 25 years old ..... handsome kid and nice man.
This is from his wife a welcome addition to his Memorial..........
"Thank you so much for the article you placed on my late husband's "find a grave" site. Bill and I were married for a very short time (five days short of being two years). Three weeks ago, I started my papers for DAR, DTR and the Austin Old Three Hundred and this is when I was introduced to "Find a Grave" site. The picture of Bill, is from a high school year book. Again, thank you for remembering a great pilot and a magnificent man.
Ruth Gilleland Aldrich Ashmore
Reno, Texas
More information about Bill: He was a graduate of the US Naval Academy class of 1960;
took his advanced training in Beeville, Texas; his first squadron was VA-94 in Lemoore, Ca. Returning from his first over seas tour, his CO (VA-94) was told to pick his best A-4 junior pilot. This pilot would be sent to Whidby IS. WA. for a special mission. While training, Bill and a third crewman were killed due to a malfunction in the control systems; the instructor got out of the plane before it crashed. Bill was the third pilot killed due to the same failure of the control system.....the Navy grounded all A-3 and found the cause of three deaths."
TRIBUTE: US Naval Academy class of 1960
WILLIAM LESTER ALDRICH LTJG
It is with a deep sense of grief that we announce the death of BILL ALDRICH, who was killed in an aircraft accident on 27 November 1963. Bill was attached to Heavy Attack Squadron 123 at Seattle, and is survived by his widow, Ruth, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lester C. Aldrich of Pismo Beach, Calif. We could not have lost a finer, more friendly classmate than Bill, whose loss will leave a vacant spot in the hearts of those who knew him well. We join his family in mourning our friend, and may our last tribute to him be what St. John once said: “Greater love than this no one has that one lay down his life for his friends.”
SHIPMATE, January 1964
He was on a training mission with another pilot when his jet slammed into the side of a hill .... he and his fellow pilot,
Fritz Meier, were killed instantly.
He was only 25 years old ..... handsome kid and nice man.
This is from his wife a welcome addition to his Memorial..........
"Thank you so much for the article you placed on my late husband's "find a grave" site. Bill and I were married for a very short time (five days short of being two years). Three weeks ago, I started my papers for DAR, DTR and the Austin Old Three Hundred and this is when I was introduced to "Find a Grave" site. The picture of Bill, is from a high school year book. Again, thank you for remembering a great pilot and a magnificent man.
Ruth Gilleland Aldrich Ashmore
Reno, Texas
More information about Bill: He was a graduate of the US Naval Academy class of 1960;
took his advanced training in Beeville, Texas; his first squadron was VA-94 in Lemoore, Ca. Returning from his first over seas tour, his CO (VA-94) was told to pick his best A-4 junior pilot. This pilot would be sent to Whidby IS. WA. for a special mission. While training, Bill and a third crewman were killed due to a malfunction in the control systems; the instructor got out of the plane before it crashed. Bill was the third pilot killed due to the same failure of the control system.....the Navy grounded all A-3 and found the cause of three deaths."
TRIBUTE: US Naval Academy class of 1960
WILLIAM LESTER ALDRICH LTJG
It is with a deep sense of grief that we announce the death of BILL ALDRICH, who was killed in an aircraft accident on 27 November 1963. Bill was attached to Heavy Attack Squadron 123 at Seattle, and is survived by his widow, Ruth, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lester C. Aldrich of Pismo Beach, Calif. We could not have lost a finer, more friendly classmate than Bill, whose loss will leave a vacant spot in the hearts of those who knew him well. We join his family in mourning our friend, and may our last tribute to him be what St. John once said: “Greater love than this no one has that one lay down his life for his friends.”
SHIPMATE, January 1964
William was a Lieutenant Junior Grade with the United States Navy .... he was a Naval Pilot stationed on Whidby Island, Washington, USA.
He was on a training mission with another pilot when his jet slammed into the side of a hill .... he and his fellow pilot,
Fritz Meier, were killed instantly.
He was only 25 years old ..... handsome kid and nice man.
This is from his wife a welcome addition to his Memorial..........
"Thank you so much for the article you placed on my late husband's "find a grave" site. Bill and I were married for a very short time (five days short of being two years). Three weeks ago, I started my papers for DAR, DTR and the Austin Old Three Hundred and this is when I was introduced to "Find a Grave" site. The picture of Bill, is from a high school year book. Again, thank you for remembering a great pilot and a magnificent man.
Ruth Gilleland Aldrich Ashmore
Reno, Texas
More information about Bill: He was a graduate of the US Naval Academy class of 1960;
took his advanced training in Beeville, Texas; his first squadron was VA-94 in Lemoore, Ca. Returning from his first over seas tour, his CO (VA-94) was told to pick his best A-4 junior pilot. This pilot would be sent to Whidby IS. WA. for a special mission. While training, Bill and a third crewman were killed due to a malfunction in the control systems; the instructor got out of the plane before it crashed. Bill was the third pilot killed due to the same failure of the control system.....the Navy grounded all A-3 and found the cause of three deaths."
TRIBUTE: US Naval Academy class of 1960
WILLIAM LESTER ALDRICH LTJG
It is with a deep sense of grief that we announce the death of BILL ALDRICH, who was killed in an aircraft accident on 27 November 1963. Bill was attached to Heavy Attack Squadron 123 at Seattle, and is survived by his widow, Ruth, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lester C. Aldrich of Pismo Beach, Calif. We could not have lost a finer, more friendly classmate than Bill, whose loss will leave a vacant spot in the hearts of those who knew him well. We join his family in mourning our friend, and may our last tribute to him be what St. John once said: “Greater love than this no one has that one lay down his life for his friends.”
SHIPMATE, January 1964
He was on a training mission with another pilot when his jet slammed into the side of a hill .... he and his fellow pilot,
Fritz Meier, were killed instantly.
He was only 25 years old ..... handsome kid and nice man.
This is from his wife a welcome addition to his Memorial..........
"Thank you so much for the article you placed on my late husband's "find a grave" site. Bill and I were married for a very short time (five days short of being two years). Three weeks ago, I started my papers for DAR, DTR and the Austin Old Three Hundred and this is when I was introduced to "Find a Grave" site. The picture of Bill, is from a high school year book. Again, thank you for remembering a great pilot and a magnificent man.
Ruth Gilleland Aldrich Ashmore
Reno, Texas
More information about Bill: He was a graduate of the US Naval Academy class of 1960;
took his advanced training in Beeville, Texas; his first squadron was VA-94 in Lemoore, Ca. Returning from his first over seas tour, his CO (VA-94) was told to pick his best A-4 junior pilot. This pilot would be sent to Whidby IS. WA. for a special mission. While training, Bill and a third crewman were killed due to a malfunction in the control systems; the instructor got out of the plane before it crashed. Bill was the third pilot killed due to the same failure of the control system.....the Navy grounded all A-3 and found the cause of three deaths."
TRIBUTE: US Naval Academy class of 1960
WILLIAM LESTER ALDRICH LTJG
It is with a deep sense of grief that we announce the death of BILL ALDRICH, who was killed in an aircraft accident on 27 November 1963. Bill was attached to Heavy Attack Squadron 123 at Seattle, and is survived by his widow, Ruth, and his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Lester C. Aldrich of Pismo Beach, Calif. We could not have lost a finer, more friendly classmate than Bill, whose loss will leave a vacant spot in the hearts of those who knew him well. We join his family in mourning our friend, and may our last tribute to him be what St. John once said: “Greater love than this no one has that one lay down his life for his friends.”
SHIPMATE, January 1964
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