Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

William “Bill” Howard

Date of birth: May 14, 1924

Dates of service: 1943 to 1945

Hometown: Clovis

Lives in: Clovis

Theater and location of service: Pacific: Hawaiian Islands

Branch: Navy CBs (Construction Battalion)

Rank: Machinist Mate 3rd Class

Unit: 575 Construction Battalion

In his words: Stationed in the Hawaiian islands, Howard lost his taste for seafood. Crabs in particular became a dreaded meal for him because they were served so often in mess hall.

He joined the CBs because he liked construction. While he didn’t realize it would be construction under combat, he said he adapted to it.

“It wasn’t very hard” Howard said, explaining that they built runways and did roadwork.

When he returned home he was introduced to his future wife, a clerk-typist at Canon Air Base.