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 naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

and a recipient of the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

Biography

Corry was born at

Quincy, Florida Quincy is a city in and the county seat of Gadsden County, Florida, United States. Quincy is part of the Tallahassee metropolitan area, Tallahassee, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,970 as of the 2020 census, almost eve ...

. Admitted to the

Naval Academy A naval academy provides education for prospective naval officers. List of naval academies See also

* Military academy {{Authority control Naval academies, Naval lists ...

in June 1906, he graduated in 1910 and spent the next five years serving in the

battleship A battleship is a large, heavily naval armour, armored warship with a main battery consisting of large naval gun, guns, designed to serve as a capital ship. From their advent in the late 1880s, battleships were among the largest and most form ...

. In mid-1915, Lieutenant (Junior Grade) Corry began instruction in aviation at

Pensacola, Florida Pensacola ( ) is a city in the Florida panhandle in the United States. It is the county seat and only incorporated city, city in Escambia County, Florida, Escambia County. The population was 54,312 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. ...

, and was designated Naval Aviator #23 in March 1916. He had flying positions with the armored

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

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 located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

, where he commanded Naval Air Stations at

Le Croisic Le Croisic (; ; ) is a commune in the Loire-Atlantique department, western France. It is part of the urban area of Saint-Nazaire. History In the autumn of 1583, while the Catholic Church in Ireland was illegal and underground, Archbishop Der ...

and Brest 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 Naval Service's 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 equivalent to the Army ...

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 to C ...

. 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 continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

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 navy, 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 ...

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

Long Island, New York Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...

. The airplane crashed near

Hartford, Connecticut Hartford is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. The city, located in Hartford County, Connecticut, Hartford County, had a population of 121,054 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ce ...

. 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
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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 Accidental deaths in Connecticut Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Deaths from fire in the United States Non-combat recipients of the Medal of Honor People from Quincy, Florida Recipients of the Navy Cross (United States) United States Naval Academy alumni United States Naval Aviators United States Navy Medal of Honor recipients United States Navy officers United States Navy personnel of World War I Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1920