Lt. William Wrenn was posthumously awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross in ceremonies on 7 February 2011 at Columbus, Nebraska. His wife of sixty-nine years, Evelyn, received the medal on his behalf. The honor was delayed more than sixty-five years because the reconnaissance mission Wrenn flew over the Philippines was only recently declassified. During the 1943 flight, Wrenn’s B-24 crew discovered, photographed, and took fire from numerous Imperial Japanese Navy ships while on a mission over Luzon to map the island prior to the planned invasion of US forces. The Japanese ships were enroute to what would become known as the Battle of Leyte Gulf, the largest naval battle of World War II.
