[courtesy of Larry Aichele]

Grave marker for William G. Cisco in Section B, Row 127, Site 1A, Roseburg National Cemetery, Roseburg (Douglas county), Oregon.

William registered for the draft in Madera county, CA on 30 June 1942 and was inducted into the Army at San Francisco, CA on 17 November 1942.

In July 1944, Pvt Cisco was seriously wounded in action and evacuated to a hospital in Scotland.  He was diagnosed with multiple injuries due to a single bullet that passed through the upper bone (humerus) and then into in his upper thoracic region. It then struck the brachial plexus, a network of nerves near the neck that control all the nerves of the arm and induced a palsy causing arm weakness and/or loss of motion.

On 5 August 1944, Pvt Cisco arrived at LaGuardia Airport, New York, NY from Prestwick, Scotland via Newfoundland aboard Air Transport Command aircraft 42-107427, a C-54A.  He was transported to a hospital in the U.S..

Pvt Cisco was discharged due to disability under Section II, AR 615-360 on 1 December 1945.

On 12 November 1944 the 42-107427 aircraft departed LaGuardia Airport destined for Stephenville Air Base*, Newfoundland, Canada on what would have been a reverse of the flight route taken by Pvt Cisco.  Unfortunately, The aircraft flew into the side of a mountain near Cape St. George, 30 miles West of Harmon Field.  Nine of the eighteen aboard were killed.

* later named Harmon AFB