William S. “Bill” Beamish was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1923 and grew up in nearby Wellesley Hills. His father, an Irish immigrant and World War 1 veteran, was the owner of a family grocery store which was very successful despite the Great Depression [Annotator's Note: the Great Depression was a global economic depression that lasted from 1929 through 1939 in the United States]. Although an only child, Beamish’s father expected him to work on various chores and in the store. He thought his childhood was wonderful, and it was due to his father’s business success. He specifically remembered when his teacher bribed his class with tickets to a Red Sox-Yankees baseball game. Beamish saw Babe Ruth [Annotator’s Note: George Herman "Babe" Ruth Jr. was an American professional baseball player whose career in Major League Baseball spanned 22 seasons, from 1914 through 1935] and Lou Gehrig [Annotator’s Note: Henry Louis Gehrig was an American professional baseball first baseman who played 17 seasons in Major League Baseball for the New York Yankees] play. Beamish says he was well-educated on world affairs throughout his high school years of the late 1930s, and even became impressed by Russia and the rise of Communism there. He attended the University of Wisconsin [Annotator’s Note: The University of Wisconsin-Madison] in the Fall of 1941, and his parents moved to San Diego [Annotator’s Note: San Diego, California] because his father retired and had a desire to go there. Beamish and his roommate were studying and listening to the radio on a Sunday morning when they heard the news that the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: The Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. When the details of the attack began to unfold, a great animosity towards the Japanese people arose. They were totally foreign. It was not hard to build a fear of them. Today, he has no animosity towards the Japanese. Initially when World War 2 broke out, it had no affect on him. He continued his studies at the University and went home for Christmas in 1941. He also met his wife to be, Ruth, at a university religious organization. After his freshman year of college, his friend’s family drove him to San Diego. Beamish did not return to school in the fall. During the summer of 1942, he found a job working as a bank teller. Beamish wore glasses since he was three years old, and because Beamish was a Christian Scientist, he and his family prayed with the help of a Christian Science practitioner. One day his eyesight was healed. He volunteered for service in the Army Air Corps in October 1942. He joined the Army Air Corps because his father flew planes in World War 1.

In October 1942, William S. “Bill” Beamish enlisted in the Army Air Corps and was inducted in San Pedro [Annotator’s Note: San Pedro, California]. During induction they learned about venereal diseases. The army showed the recruits images of affected women. He and the recruits were then told to strip naked and stand in two lines so they could receive their innoculations and physicals. He was then issued clothing and gear. His bunkmate at the induction center was George Petty [Annotator’s Note: George Brown Petty IV was an American pin-up artist]. After three days at San Pedro, he boarded a troop train and was sent to basic training in Miami Beach [Annotator’s Note: Miami Beach, Florida]. He stayed there for about a month before being sent to radio school in Chicago [Annotator’s Note: Chicago, Illinois] in November 1942. During the nights, he often went to USO [Annotator's Note: United Service Organizations, Inc.] shows that were nearby the hotel in which the Army was housing him. After radio school, he was shipped to Madison, Wisconsin at the beginning of 1943. He stayed there for a couple of months and he was able to see his wife-to-be, Ruth. He was then stationed at various airfields around the country throughout 1943 and 1944 repairing radio systems aboard bombers and fighters. He shipped to Boca Raton, Florida where he worked on radio and radar and continued to train as if he was on a sinking vessel. After nine months, he was sent to Avon Park [Annotator’s Note: Avon Park, Florida]. His unit [Annotator’s Note: 77th Bombardment Squadron] was then moved to Tampa [Annotator’s Note: Tampa, Florida]. They lost a lot of planes while training. His unit was then sent to Galveston [Annotator’s Note: Galveston, Texas] during the winter. He was then shipped to two fighter bases in Nebraska to service the radios where P-47 [Annotator's Note: Republic P-47 Thunderbolt fighter aircraft] pilots trained.

After being stationed in various places stateside, William S. “Bill” Beamish was given a two week leave [Annotator's Note: an authorized absence for a short period of time]. He went to San Diego [Annotator’s Note: San Diego, California] to visit his parents and his girlfriend, Ruth. After his leave, he reported to Wendover Field in Utah. A friend, Steve, bragged about his track record. Beamish challenged him to a foot race and won. After June 1944, Beamish applied for paratroop training with the 82nd Airborne Division. Just before he was to be sent to Fort Bragg, North Carolina, he was selected to go overseas to the Aleutians [Annotator’s Note: Aleutian Islands, Alaska] with the 77th Bombardment Squadron. He was promoted to corporal by this time. His fiancé, Ruth, saw him off at the train depot in San Diego that took him to Seattle [Annotator’s Note: Seattle, Washington]. He was issued winter clothing and equipment. He boarded a small cruise ship on Christmas Eve 1944 and sailed to a small town, and then onto Anchorage [Annotator’s Note: Anchorage, Alaska]. He stayed long enough to have duty detail, and he saw a dog sled for the first time. His unit then set sail for Attu. They landed at Dutch Harbor [Annotator’s Note: in Unalaska, Alaska] and then proceeded to Adak and Shemya Island [Annotator’s Note: Adak and Shemya Island, Alaska] to wait for a storm to pass. His unit was finally sent to Attu. He was assigned to a hut where he lived with seven other men. At this point in the war, B-25s [Annotator's Note: North American B-25 Mitchell medium bomber] were operating in this area. The weather conditions were very bad, but the pilots’ missions were to bomb the Kuril Islands in the north of Japan targeting shipping harbors. Beamish was assigned to monitor and repair the radios in the planes and at the base.

William S. “Bill” Beamish [Annotator’s Note: serving with the 77th Bombardment Squadron] was stationed on Attu [Annotator’s Note: Attu, Alaska] for 10 months until the end of the war. Most of hig time was spent inside due to the harsh Alaskan weather. He read a lot of books because there was a small library on base. A lot of the men worked out at the gym and played card games. Beamish did not like to play card games, so he made a “fort” out of his bunk so the games would not disturb him during the night. At one time Joe Lewis [Annotator’s Note: Joseph Louis Barrow, an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951] came to his station and men had boxing matches with him. He does not recall what he did on VE-Day [Annotator's Note: Victory in Europe Day, 8 May 1945], but does recall when the United States dropped the second atomic bomb [Annotator's Note: nuclear weapons dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, 6 and 9 August 1945] in Japan. He felt grateful. His unit left Attu in September 1945, and he was discharged in December 1945 with the rank of sergeant. He was given a job selling insurance to get back into civilian life. The job only lasted about a month. Beamish wanted to explore the world. He hitchhiked to San Francisco [Annotator’s Note: San Francisco, California] and met a friend that showed him the city. He then headed to Madison [Annotator’s Note: Madison, Wisconsin] and stopped in Nebraska, and learned to dance the polka. He then went to the University of Wisconsin [Annotator’s Note: The University of Wisconsin-Madison] to see his fiancée graduate. He decided not to go overseas, but to go back to college. He married in July 1946. He took advantage of the GI Bill [Annotator's Note: the G.I. Bill, or Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, was enacted by the United States Congress to aid United States veterans of World War 2 in transitioning back to civilian life and included financial aid for education, mortgages, business starts and unemployment] and finished his education, graduating in early 1950.

William S. “Bill” Beamish’s most memorable experience of World War 2 was when his fiancée came to the railroad station to say goodbye to him and his unit. It was also memorable when he returned to Seattle [Annotator’s Note: Seattle, Washington] after being stationed in Attu [Annotator’s Note: Attu, Alaska] for 10 months [Annotator’s Note: with the 77th Bombardment Squadron]. The freighter they sailed on came from Hawaii, and they found a bunch of pineapple in the hull. Beamish served in the military because he did not have a choice. He was not forced into it, but felt his country needed him to go, and his country supported the military efforts. The war changed his life because it was the most meaningful experience of his young life. He learned discipline, how to take orders, to be responsible and respectful, to find value in life, and to love your country. He is sad today to see how America has evolved because the democracy he fought for is in great jeopardy. Beamish is grateful for his service and has visited Normandy [Annotator’s Note: Normandy, France] three times. Many people are also very grateful for his generation and what they sacrificed for America. He believes there should be institutions like the National World War 2 Museum [Annotator's Note: The National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana], and we should continue to teach World War 2 to future generations because people need to be reminded what a great cost for the Americans, British, and French people paid, and what they did to succeed and win the war. America would otherwise not be a great country that so many people around the world want to come to and be part of.