Bill J. Bergan was born in Chappell, Nebraska on June 18, 1922. He graduated from Deuel County high school on May 1940. Ten days later, on July 6, three buddies and Bill joined the Army Air Corps at Fort Francis Warren, Cheyenne, Wyoming. A short time later, they were shipped to California by train. Five days later they arrived as recruits at March Field and were assigned to the 19th Bomb Group, which was "Hap Arnold's" old B-17 group.

After training at other locations, Bill was returned to Kirkland Air Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was promoted to Staff Sergeant. In the meantime, the Air Corps had started the Flight Sergeant flying school. Until then one had to be 21 years of age and have two years of college to take flying training.

Bill was 19 years old with no college but he and a buddy took the opportunity to learn to fly. They were sent to Santa Ana, California for pre flight school which took three months. Basic flight training was at Lemoore Air Base in Fresno, California, with advanced flight training at Roswell Army Flying School, Roswell, New Mexico. It was here on January 4, 1943 he received his wings as a pilot and was promoted to Flight Officer. An assignment to a B-24 crew and combat training came next.

On March 20, 1943 Bill flew to Morrison Field, Florida (now Palm Beach International Airport) to pick up a new B-24 Liberator. On March 26th he headed to Benghazi, Libya. His final destination was the 98th Bomb Group, 415th Bomb Squadron in Benia Main Air Field, Benghazi, Libya.

Six days later he flew his first combat mission on April 26, 1943. He was a 20 year old second Lieutenant. Flying over Europe there was no fighter escort, everything was cold turkey. The missions were 6, 8, 10, 12 hour flights. Bill said his three most prominent missions were the two raids on the city of Rome and the Ploesti raid.

On August 1, 1943 Bill was the co pilot of "Lil Joe" and flew on the famous raid to the oil refineries located in Ploesti, Romania. It was a low level raid designed to knock out several of the 9 refineries and halt the oil supply to the German war effort. To quote Bill; "I was one shot up plane out of 24 planes in my squadron only 7 planes returned". Bill said it was so hot he thought the plane was going to explode before the plane would pass over the refineries.

Bill flew 300 combat hours by September 1943 and became qualified to return stateside. He returned to the states performing various assignments and by May 1945 he had enough points to become a private citizen. He went to work with TWA before the war ended in August 1945. Bill spent twenty years in the Air Force Reserve, retiring as a Major.

Major Bill Bergan died August of 2014 at the age of 92.