A retired U.S. Air Force colonel, Billy and his wife Kitty settled in Chattanooga after a 32-year military career that took the family to various bases across the U.S. and Europe. He began his second career as a financial advisor with American Express, retiring again after 29 years. Billy was a member of St. Luke Methodist Church and was active in the Downtown Lions Club of Chattanooga.Raised in Tyronza, Ar., the colonel began his military career in 1942 training to fly gliders, eventually piloting single-engine P-47 and P-51 fighter aircraft with the 56 th Fighter Group in World War II. He was a fighter ace, flying 83 missions that included being shot down, captured, and escaping multiple times, eventually being held as a POW for 13 months. After WW II, he served in every conflict until his retirement, flying F-84’s in the Korean War and completing two tours of duty in Vietnam.