MEMORIAL BIOGRAPHY FOR BILL OVERSTREET, WWII VETERAN
NEVER FORGOTTEN: Proudly Served our Country
Born in Clifton Forge, Virginia on April 10th, 1921, Overstreet was a student at what is now the University of Charleston when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He enlisted in the Army with the goal of becoming a pilot, which landed him in the 357th Fighter Group, 363rd Fighter Squadron.
Overstreet was flying P-51s in the European Theater by early 1944; he named all of his planes the "Berlin Express." He had at least one close call where a burst of flak cut off the oxygen line in his plane, causing him to black out and disappear from his formation over enemy territory. News reports at the time said he flew for 90 minutes "on reflex action alone" and only regained consciousness after slipping into a spin and nearly crashing. Mr. Overstreet was well known for chasing a German fighter under the Eiffel tower in occupied Paris, before eventually shooting it down. He was later quoted as saying “that was the easy part; the hard part was avoiding the flak to get out of enemy territory”. Another good story involved a relief flight mission to Russia, returning with Vodka (which the Russian’s had given in appreciation) stored in the wings of the P-51 trying not to get discovered after returning to England.
Overstreet returned from war in October 1944 and married Nita Brackens of Covington. He taught at the gunnery school in Pinellas, Florida. Following the war he became an accountant, while also working with various charities and veterans groups.
In 2009, at the D-Day Memorial in Bedford, VA, Overstreet received France's highest award, the Legion of Honor. The Roanoke Star reported at the time that the award was given to him by Pierre Vimont, the Ambassador of France to the U.S.
Mr. Overstreet passed away December 29th, 2013 at the age of 92. Two P-51 mustangs flew over the Roanoke Valley as a commemoration to Bill on the day of his funeral.
Much of the above information was copied from various sources. Created 9-30-17 DHS