William Merrill Corry Jr. (October 5, 1889 – October 6, 1920) was a lieutenant commander in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and a recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor ...

Biography

Corry was born at

Quincy, Florida Quincy is a city in and the county seat of Gadsden County, Florida, United States. The population was 7,972 at the 2010 census, up from 6,982 at the 2000 census. Quincy is part of the Tallahassee metropolitan area. History Established in 182 ...

. Admitted to the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. See also * Military academy A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps. It normally pro ...

in June 1906, he graduated in 1910 and spent the next five years serving in the battleship . In mid-1915, Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Corry began instruction in aviation at

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principa ...

, and was designated Naval Aviator #23 in March 1916. He had flying positions with the armored cruiser between November 1916 and May 1917, then was an officer on the armored cruiser . In August 1917, Lieutenant Corry began World War I service in

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

, where he commanded Naval Air Stations at

Le Croisic Le Croisic (; br, Ar Groazig; french: label= Gallo, Le Croèzic) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department, western France. It is part of the urban area of Saint-Nazaire. History The United States Navy established a naval air station on ...

and

Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus ** Brest Region ** Brest Airport **Brest Fortress *Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria *Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France **Arrondissement of Brest ** Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Bre ...

during 1918 and early 1919. He was promoted to lieutenant commander in July 1918 and received

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps' second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is eq ...

for his service with

Northern Bombing Group The Northern Bombing Group consisted of United States Navy and United States Marine Corps squadrons conducting strategic bombing of German U-boat bases along the Belgian coast during World War I. The first United States military unit sent ...

. Corry remained in France for the rest of 1919 and the first half of 1920, involved in removing U.S. Naval Aviation forces from

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located enti ...

as part of the post-war demobilization. In mid-1920, Lieutenant Commander Corry was assigned as aviation aide to the Commander-in-Chief, Atlantic Fleet, stationed on the Fleet's

flagship A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, characteristically a flag officer entitled by custom to fly a distinguishing flag. Used more loosely, it is the lead ship in a fleet of vessels, typically the f ...

, . On October 2, 1920, he was a passenger on a flight from

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United States and the 18t ...

. The airplane crashed near Hartford, Connecticut. Though thrown clear of the wreckage, the injured Corry ran back to pull the pilot free of the flaming aircraft. Fatally burned during this rescue, William M. Corry died at Hartford on October 6. He posthumously received the

for his heroism. He is buried in Eastern Cemetery, Quincy, Florida.vconline.org.uk
/ref>

Namesake

Airfields at Pensacola, Florida (now Naval Air Station Pensacola, Center for Information Dominance Corry Station - and Naval Information Operations Command Pensacola tenant command), and three ships have been named in his honor.

Medal of Honor citation

Rank and organization: Lieutenant Commander, U.S. Navy. Place and date: Near Hartford, Conn., October 2, 1920. Born: October 5, 1889, Quincy, Fla. Accredited to: Florida. Other Navy award:

. Citation:

For heroic service in attempting to rescue a brother officer from a flame-enveloped airplane. On 2 October 1920, an airplane in which Lt. Comdr. Corry was a passenger crashed and burst into flames. He was thrown 30 feet clear of the plane and, though injured, rushed back to the burning machine and endeavored to release the pilot. In so doing he sustained serious burns, from which he died 4 days later.

Notes

Attribution

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Corry, William Merrill 1889 births 1920 deaths United States Navy personnel of World War I United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Naval Academy alumni United States Navy officers United States Naval Aviators Non-combat recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Quincy, Florida