William J. Oestreich

William J. Oestreich Jr. entered the Navy on March 2, 1945.

He was a Seaman 1st Class, serving on the battleship USS Washington (BB 56), USS LST 1059 and destroyer USS Wiltsie (DD 716) in the Pacific.

While he was aboard the LST, it transported Japanese troops back to Japan from China and hauled Chinese Nationalist troops from Hong Kong to Shanghai to fight communists in northern China. While he was aboard the Washington it was scheduled for an invasion of Japan before A-bombs ended the Pacific war.

He retired from the Naval Reserve in 1987 as a Petty Officer 1st Class.

Source: Hometown Heroes: The St. Louis County World War II Project. 228.

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