First Lieutenant William “Willie” Roman Slovak, born 9 Aug 1920, was the son of W J and Josephine (Kuchar) Slovak of El Campo, Wharton County, Texas. El Campo is 83 miles southwest of Houston.

In the 1930 census 9-year-old Willie is living with his parents and sister Gladys 2, at 10 Jefferson Street in LaGrange, Fayette County, Texas. His father is a printer for a newspaper.

In the 1940 census 19-year-old Willie is living with his parents and sisters Gladys 12, and Dolores 5, at 706 Washington Street in El Campo. His father is a printer for a newspaper. Willie also works at the newspaper.

On his Oct 1940 draft registration Willie is living in Columbus, Colorado County, Texas and forking for the T & N.O. (Texas & New Orleans) Railroad.

Willie married Anglen Marie Labay 19 Jan 1942 in Colorado County, Texas.

William enlisted 15 Jul 1942 in Houston. He’d had two years of college and was married. His civil occupation was listed under locomotive firemen. He was 5’9” and weighed 129 lbs.

William was pilot of P-51 44-13847 assigned to the 505th Fighter Squadron of the 339th Fight Group based out of Fowlmere, 45 miles north of London.

The NARA WWII casualty listings by state and county for Texas show Slovak, William R, 1 Lt from Wharton County as FOD (Finding of Death). A finding of death was determined at least one year and one day after a soldier, sailor or airman went missing in action.

Willie’s plane was shot down near Sauerlach, 15 miles southeast of Munich on 13 Sep 1944. He was buried on 15 Sep 1944 as an unknown in the village cemetery at Arget.

Anglen never remarried. In the 1953 Austin city directory she is a public school teacher. She passed away 12 Jul 2007 in Huntsville, Texas.

Source: Brian Kueker, Facebook contributor for American Battle Monuments Commission (ABMC).

This story is part of the Stories Behind the Stars project (www.storiesbehindthestars.org). This is a national effort of volunteers to write the stories of all 400,000+ of the US WWII fallen here on Fold3.

Can you help write these stories? Related to this, there will be a smartphone app that will allow people to visit any war memorial or cemetery, scan the fallen's name and read his/her story.

William R Slovak