World War II Veterans from Dillon County, South Carolina

WILLIAMSON, Eli W.
Rank:	Staff Sergeant
Service Branch:	U.S. Army Air Corps (AAF)
Service Number:	14074506
Division:	307th A.A.F. Bomber Group
Squadron:	371st Bomber Squadron
Plane:	B-24 Liberator bomber
Function:	Aerial gunner and engineer
Status:	Killed in Action
Date of death:	April 22, 1943
Place of death:	Funafuti Island, Ellice Island Group, South Pacific
Age at death:	20
Awards:	Purple Heart, Air Medal (posthumously)
Burial 1:
Burial 2:	National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific Honolulu, Hawaii
Grave number:	C 232
Cenotaph:
Born:	July 27, 1922 Lumberton, North Carolina
Hometown:	Dillon, South Carolina
Family:	Parents: James L. Williamson Della Wishart Williams Spouse: Children: Siblings: James L. Williamson, Jr. ( - 1961)
Additional information:	Enlisted in the Army Air Corps on March 26, 1942. Eli was an aerial gunner and engineer on a B-24 Liberator bomber in the 371st Bomber Squadron, 307th Bomber Group. On the day of his death, Eli was on Funafuti, where the U.S. had recently built on airstrip. The Japanese bombed this tiny island for three hours in the early morning, killing S/Sgt. Eli W. Williamson and four other military personnel.
Biography:	Eli Wishart Williams was born July 27, 1922 in Lumberton, North Carolina, the son of James L. and Della Wishart Williams. Although North Carolina born, Eli lived most of his life in Dillon. His father was the operator of Anderson’s Dillon Theatre, where Eli would later work as an usher. He attended Dillon High School, where he was on the baseball and football teams. Sadly, his mother Della passed away before he finished school. Although he planned to attend college after his graduation in 1941, a temporary illness put those plans on hold. After he recovered, he chose to sign up to serve his country - as did so many young men of his generation. Records indicate that he enlisted in the Army on March 26, 1942 at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, with the intent of joining the new Army Air Corps. After rounds of training at various military facilities, (then) Staff Sgt. Williamson was stationed in Hawaii. He saw active duty in the Pacific Theater of Operations and was awarded the Air Medal and a Purple Heart. On Nov. 27, 1943 the Air Medal presented to Eli was received by his father at a ceremony held at the Dillon Armory. In further tribute to S/Sgt Williamson, the Dillon Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 6091 named their post the "Eli W. Williamson VFW." Staff Sergeant Williamson died during a Japanese air raid on Funafuti Island on April 22, 1943. He is buried at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.