Bill Wynne
Encyclopedia
William "Bill" A. Wynne is an American
author, decorated World War II
veteran, dog trainer, photographer, award winning photojournalist, and community advocate. He also owned and trained one of the most famous dogs in history.
to Martin A. and Beatrice Caffrey Wynne, Bill grew up in Cleveland
Ohio
, after having moved there as an infant.
He was married to Margaret Roberts Wynne on September 28, 1946, and they remained married for over 57 years until the time of her death, in 2004. Together they had and raised nine children. So far, they have twenty-seven grandchildren, and twenty great-grandchildren.
. Specialized in Horticulture
, with elective courses in photography
.
Graduate of USAAF Photo Lab Technician School - Lowry Field, Colorado.
Graduate of Aerial Photo School - Colorado Springs, Colorado
.
On May 26, 2009: Bill was inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame in Columbus, OH.
On October 28, 2009 he was also inducted into the Ohio Press and Journalism Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH.
(January 12, 1943 - November 27, 1945)
Served 24 months in the Southwest Pacific and the Far East
with the 26th Photo Recon Squadron and the 6th Photo Recon Group. Served at New Guinea
, Biak Island, Luzon
, Okinawa, and Korea
.
As aerial photographer, he flew 13 combat missions with the 3rd Emergency Rescue Squadron from Biak Island to Ceram
, Halmahera
, Celebes
, Borneo
, and Mindanao
between September and December of 1944.
With the 26th Photo Recon Squadron he also worked as a lab technician and as a camera installer on F-5 Lightning ( Photo Recon P-38s) reconnaissance planes.
He was awarded two U.S. Presidential Unit Citation
s and eight Battle Stars.
, which he later named Smoky
, off of a fellow soldier for A$2, equal to approximately US$6.44 at that time.
Their adventures together ranged from flying in PBY Catalina
s to assisting engineers with getting the communications operational at an airbase at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, where Wynne had Smoky drag a telegraph wire, tied to her collar, under a runway, through a 70 feet (21.3 m) culvert
only 8 inches (20.3 cm) high. Wynne and Smoky also entertained troops and wounded soldiers with the more than 200 tricks Wynne taught her. After the war, Mr. Wynne brought Smoky back to the United States
carrying her in a modified oxygen mask case. After a brief stint in Hollywood, and becoming famous back home in Cleveland, they starred on their own shows on all three television
channels Cleveland had at the time. Smoky was famous for her tricks, her spirit and her size. The four pound Yorkshire Terrier emerged from a jungle in the South Pacific and became a war hero. She now has six memorials honoring her, nationally.
"Corporal
" Smoky
, died at the age of 14, on February 20, 1957.
Angel in a Foxhole - Unpublished
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
author, decorated World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
veteran, dog trainer, photographer, award winning photojournalist, and community advocate. He also owned and trained one of the most famous dogs in history.
Personal life
Born in Scranton, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
to Martin A. and Beatrice Caffrey Wynne, Bill grew up in Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
, after having moved there as an infant.
He was married to Margaret Roberts Wynne on September 28, 1946, and they remained married for over 57 years until the time of her death, in 2004. Together they had and raised nine children. So far, they have twenty-seven grandchildren, and twenty great-grandchildren.
Education
West Technical High School - Cleveland, OhioCleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
. Specialized in Horticulture
Horticulture
Horticulture is the industry and science of plant cultivation including the process of preparing soil for the planting of seeds, tubers, or cuttings. Horticulturists work and conduct research in the disciplines of plant propagation and cultivation, crop production, plant breeding and genetic...
, with elective courses in photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
.
Graduate of USAAF Photo Lab Technician School - Lowry Field, Colorado.
Graduate of Aerial Photo School - Colorado Springs, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
Hall Of Fame Inductions
In 2006: Wynne was inducted into the West Tech Alumni Hall of Fame.On May 26, 2009: Bill was inducted into the Ohio Senior Citizens Hall of Fame in Columbus, OH.
On October 28, 2009 he was also inducted into the Ohio Press and Journalism Hall of Fame in Cleveland, OH.
Military service
World War IIWorld War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
(January 12, 1943 - November 27, 1945)
Served 24 months in the Southwest Pacific and the Far East
Far East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
with the 26th Photo Recon Squadron and the 6th Photo Recon Group. Served at New Guinea
New Guinea
New Guinea is the world's second largest island, after Greenland, covering a land area of 786,000 km2. Located in the southwest Pacific Ocean, it lies geographically to the east of the Malay Archipelago, with which it is sometimes included as part of a greater Indo-Australian Archipelago...
, Biak Island, Luzon
Luzon
Luzon is the largest island in the Philippines. It is located in the northernmost region of the archipelago, and is also the name for one of the three primary island groups in the country centered on the Island of Luzon...
, Okinawa, and Korea
Korea
Korea ) is an East Asian geographic region that is currently divided into two separate sovereign states — North Korea and South Korea. Located on the Korean Peninsula, Korea is bordered by the People's Republic of China to the northwest, Russia to the northeast, and is separated from Japan to the...
.
As aerial photographer, he flew 13 combat missions with the 3rd Emergency Rescue Squadron from Biak Island to Ceram
CERAM
CERAM is a materials science and testing organisation based in Stoke-on-Trent specialising in the field of ceramics. The CERAM Group owns testing facilities around the world.-History:The British Refractories Research Association was formed in 1920...
, Halmahera
Halmahera
Halmahera is the largest island in the Maluku Islands. It is part of the North Maluku province of Indonesia.Halmahera has a land area of 17,780 km² and a population in 1995 of 162,728...
, Celebes
Sulawesi
Sulawesi is one of the four larger Sunda Islands of Indonesia and is situated between Borneo and the Maluku Islands. In Indonesia, only Sumatra, Borneo, and Papua are larger in territory, and only Java and Sumatra have larger Indonesian populations.- Etymology :The Portuguese were the first to...
, Borneo
Borneo
Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....
, and Mindanao
Mindanao
Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. It is also the name of one of the three island groups in the country, which consists of the island of Mindanao and smaller surrounding islands. The other two are Luzon and the Visayas. The island of Mindanao is called The...
between September and December of 1944.
With the 26th Photo Recon Squadron he also worked as a lab technician and as a camera installer on F-5 Lightning ( Photo Recon P-38s) reconnaissance planes.
He was awarded two U.S. Presidential Unit Citation
Presidential Unit Citation
The Presidential Unit Citation is a senior unit award granted to military units which have performed an extremely meritorious or heroic act, usually in the face of an armed enemy...
s and eight Battle Stars.
Smoky
While stationed on the Island of New Guinea, Mr. Wynne bought a Yorkshire TerrierYorkshire Terrier
The Yorkshire Terrier is a small dog breed of terrier type, developed in the 19th century in the county of Yorkshire, England to catch rats in clothing mills. The defining features of the breed are its size, to , and its silky blue and tan coat...
, which he later named Smoky
Smoky (dog)
Smoky , a Yorkshire Terrier, was a famous war dog who served in World War II. She weighed only and stood tall. Smoky is credited with beginning a renewal of interest in the once obscure Yorkshire Terrier breed....
, off of a fellow soldier for A$2, equal to approximately US$6.44 at that time.
Their adventures together ranged from flying in PBY Catalina
PBY Catalina
The Consolidated PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s produced by Consolidated Aircraft. It was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the United States Armed Forces and in the air forces and navies of many other...
s to assisting engineers with getting the communications operational at an airbase at Lingayen Gulf, Luzon, where Wynne had Smoky drag a telegraph wire, tied to her collar, under a runway, through a 70 feet (21.3 m) culvert
Culvert
A culvert is a device used to channel water. It may be used to allow water to pass underneath a road, railway, or embankment. Culverts can be made of many different materials; steel, polyvinyl chloride and concrete are the most common...
only 8 inches (20.3 cm) high. Wynne and Smoky also entertained troops and wounded soldiers with the more than 200 tricks Wynne taught her. After the war, Mr. Wynne brought Smoky back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
carrying her in a modified oxygen mask case. After a brief stint in Hollywood, and becoming famous back home in Cleveland, they starred on their own shows on all three television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
channels Cleveland had at the time. Smoky was famous for her tricks, her spirit and her size. The four pound Yorkshire Terrier emerged from a jungle in the South Pacific and became a war hero. She now has six memorials honoring her, nationally.
"Corporal
Corporal
Corporal is a rank in use in some form by most militaries and by some police forces or other uniformed organizations. It is usually equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4....
" Smoky
Smoky
Smoky may refer to:People:*Smoky Burgess , American Major League Baseball catcher*Smoky Dawson , Australian country music performer*Smoky Joe Wood , American Major League Baseball pitcher...
, died at the age of 14, on February 20, 1957.
Books
Yorkie Doodle Dandy - CO: Top Dog Enterprises, LLC, 1996,Angel in a Foxhole - Unpublished