WWII Vet, POW Visits Glenbrook North

The following story was provided by District 225.

Air Force Technical Sergeant Bill Wagner visited Glenbrook North to surprise his grandson, Adam Wagner, on Monday. He stuck around to talk about some of his World War 2 experiences with Adam's class.

Bill Wagner served with the 8th Air Force as a radio operator gunner.

“It was one more day, one more week, one more month I wasn’t in combat, and you never know if that was a lifesaver or not. But I’m pretty sure it was,” he said while speaking of his time in basic training before being stationed in England.

In total, Wagner flew on 24 missions, and what he experienced, or perhaps survived, included crash landings, 47 days as a Prisoner of War and countless other brushes with death.

“The day started out like any other day... luckily we didn’t know what was in store for us,” he said while speaking of one of the last missions he flew when serving in the war.

It was during that mission that Wagner’s plane took on heavy fire, forcing him to jump into Nazi-occupied Germany. By chance, he removed his dog tags before reaching the ground via parachute – a decision that would later save his life.

As a Prisoner of War he was held captive in a prisoner camp and then later moved as the Russians neared. He would continually march, sleeping in different barns at night and living in the worst of conditions with less than desirable food and his unwashed uniform as the only clothing option.

Whenever it came time to shower, that was the most terrifying experience of all, Wagner recalled. He had heard rumors about the gas chambers used to execute the Jews and feared it would be gas pouring out of the showerheads instead of water.

His dog tags, which were tucked away in the pockets of one of his uniforms, also revealed his Jewish heritage. To his fortune, they were never found throughout his time as a POW.

And it wasn’t until early May that he was rescued by American soldiers.

“We woke up one morning and knew it was going to be different. There were no guards… and in the distance we could see smoke and tanks coming toward us. And on the top of one the tanks I could see the American flag,” Wagner said.

It was on his 22nd birthday, July 4, 1945 when he finally returned home. From there, Wagner has seen his own sons and now two grandsons go through Glenbrook North.

To return to the school again to share his experiences and hopefully help educate students is always treat, he said.

“To speak to the students is routine and very enjoyable. I’m always asking teachers for assignments, and in my age in life I can’t think of a better way to share my time,” Wagner said.

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