Born circa 1916 near Laverne, Harper County, Oklahoma.

Class of 1940, fine arts student at the University of Oklahoma.

Attended the Spartan School of Aeronautics near Tulsa, Oklahoma for Primary flight training; and completed Basic flight training at Randolph Field, Texas.

29 May 1941: Graduated with the Advanced Pilot Class 41-D at Brooks Field, Texas. Received "silver wings" and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the USAAF.

Flying Instructor at Tampa, Florida.

January 1942: marriage to Miss Lois Knight of Clewiston, Florida.

Subsequently assigned to the 5th Air Force, 43rd Bombardment Group (H), 64th Bomb Squadron in the Solomon Islands.

LT. PAUL IRVING WILLIAMS, Distinguished Flying Cross and Silver Star for bravery in attack on Rabaul, New Guinea in October, 1942. According to dispatches from the South Pacific, Lieutenant Williams took his Flying Fortress dangerously low in order to strafe and bomb a Japanese airdrome at close range.

Air Medal and Oak Leaf Cluster, in March 1943.

On 21 May 1943, he flew as the Pilot aboard a Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress, serial #41-9244 on a mission to bombard Vunakanau Airfield located southwest of Rabaul township on the island of New Britain in the country of Papua New Guinea.

At the bomb-run initial point over the Warangoi River, his B-17 bomber sustained 20mm cannon fire to the #3 and #4 engines from a twin-engine Nakajima J1N1-S Gekko fighter (allied code name: Irving). Within seconds, the #1 and #2 engines were hit and the onboard bombs ignited.

According to the MACR, only Lt. Rippy and MSgt. Manuel were able to bail-out; the rest of the crew perished when the B-17 aircraft crashed into the sea and exploded on impact.

Initially reported as missing in action, then listed as KIA.

Pilot O-418154 Paul Irving Williams Major - Oklahoma (KIA)

Mission Observer O-398021 Robert Frederick Heller 1Lt - ILL (KIA)

Navigator O-733398 Richard Urquidi Aguirre 2Lt - Idaho (KIA)

Co-Pilot O-730964 John Stanton Rippy 2Lt - CA (POW, executed 25 November 1943)

Waist Gunner 11007351 Robert A. Curry Sgt - MA (KIA)

Radio 36047422 Edward W. Driscoll Sgt - ILL (KIA)

Engineer 33122679 Robert Butler Gills, Jr. SSgt - VA (KIA)

Tail Gunner 13047717 Joseph F. Murray Sgt - Lebanon, PA (KIA)

Asst Radio / Waist Gunner 18004066 Lawrence LeRoy Rexroat SSgt - Oklahoma (KIA)

Belly Turret Gunner 15098049 William R. Smith PFC - Ohio (KIA)

Bombardier MSgt Gordon Richard Manuel - Hodgdon, Maine (survived)

Irving P Williams