Leon Williamson grew up in Tecumseh, Michigan. He attended school in the town, then went to Michigan State College [Annotator's Note: East Lansing, Michigan]. While there, Williamson was on the swim team and studied forestry. After graduating in 1939, he went south looking for work. He drove down to Texas from Detroit [Annotator's Note: Detroit, Michigan], then hitchhiked around looking for a job. Eventually, he made his way to Miami [Annotator's Note: Miami, Florida] and stayed with a college friend. While in Coral Gables, Florida, Williamson found a job as a life guard. He met a man who enlisted in marine aviation and liked his uniform. Williamson then joined the Marine Corps for aviation. He was sent to Pensacola [Annotator's Note: Naval Air Station Pensacola, Pensacola, Florida] for his training. Williamson had not been interested in aviation before meeting that Marine. In Pensacola, Williamson flew in a biplane, the N3N [Annotator's Note: Naval Aircraft Factory N3N training aircraft], which the Marines called "Yellow Perils." There were three fields at his training base. At graduation, everyone bought new cars. Williamson bought a convertible. In the last few months of training, he was sent to Opa-locka, Florida, where he flew F4B4 [Annotator’s Note: Boeing P-12 or F4B fighter aircraft], a fighter plane. Williamson thought it was a fun plane to fly. It had an open cockpit and he thought it felt like an extension of himself. He learned acrobatics and did gunnery practice over the Everglades [Annotator's Note: wetlands in Florida]. Williamson graduated as a second lieutenant and was given his uniform. In 1941, Williamson was sent to San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California], then to Ewa, Oahu [Annotator's Note: Ewa, Oahu, Hawaii]. On Oahu, Williamson lived in a tent and trained in gunnery, dive bombing, and flew SBDs [Annotator's Note: Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber]. In November, Williamson was qualified for the Enterprise [Annotator's Note: USS Enterprise (CV-6)] He was kept on the Enterprise, about 20 miles from the Marine Corps station. Eventually, he was allowed to fly back to the base, but the fighter squadron remained on the ship. The ship made its way to Wake Island. Many of his friends were killed on Wake and many others became prisoners of war.

Two weeks after the attack at Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], Leon Williamson was transferred to Midway Island. They expected an attack at Pearl Harbor. The servicemen were not allowed to leave the base. The day before the attack, Williamson inspected the airplanes and the railroad tracks that ran through the base. He saw a Japanese man, grabbed a pistol, and then challenged the Japanese man. He logged the man's license plate and reported the incident to a superior, but the superior was not too worried. Williamson thinks the man was an agent. The night before the attack, Williamson was allowed off base, so he set up a date. The next day, he went to breakfast with some friends and heard explosions. After hearing what was happening, Williamson tried to return to base. He made it to some heights as the second attack finished and saw the ships in the harbor burning. When he made it to the base, he found his planes destroyed. Two weeks before, the planes were distributed around the field, but they were reorganized into a line, allowing the Japanese to strafe them easily. One squadron of SB2U3s [Annotator's Note: Vought SB2U Vindicator dive bomber] was flying to the base when the attack was happening. The unit had 18 planes in it. Those planes were supposed to fly to Midway, but had to return for a PBY [Annotator's Note: Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat] escort. They made it to the island without any issue.

Two weeks after the attack at Pearl Harbor [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941], Leon Williamson was transferred to Midway Island on a converted destroyer along with some other pilots and enlisted men. He practiced submarine patrolling and glide bombing. He had been doing dive bomb practice, but the fabric on his plane would rip during the dive. The plane did not have dive brakes, so it would just fall during dives. He would mend the rips with medical tape and could only do a 30 degree dive. At that time, only three pilots on the island, including Williamson, had extensively flown an SBD Dauntless [Annotator's Note: Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber]. He received word that the Japanese were getting ready to attack. He was told how many carriers and battleships the Japanese had. Fourteen B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] were flown in and refueled. A few days before the attack, a gasoline storage area blew up, leaving the planes low on fuel. Three weeks before the attack at Midway, 16 SBDs, pilots, and gunners flew to the island. Because of the fuel shortage, the pilots were only allowed a short training session. Those pilots were told to do glide bombing instead of dive bombing. For several weeks, the pilots would go to their planes at dawn and dusk for an hour. They did this because Japanese destroyers would fire salvos at the islands. The Japanese intercepted a message saying there was a shortage of fuel and water on Midway, making the island the target, instead of Oahu [Annotator's Note: Oahu, Hawaii].

Leon Williamson believed the PBYs [Annotator's Note: Consolidated PBY Catalina flying boat] did a good job locating the Japanese fleet [Annotator's Note: on the morning of 4 June 1942]. The B-17s [Annotator's Note: Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress heavy bomber] flew off to attack Japanese transport ships heading to the island, but were diverted to attack the Japanese aircraft carriers. They were not successful because they bombed from high altitude. Williamson rendezvoused with the other planes about 20 miles from the island. The SBDs [Annotator's Note: Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber] were faster, so they went ahead. He was given the distance and bearing of the Japanese fleet and took off towards it. He was flying at 8,000 feet and despite the cloud coverage, he could see the ships below. Williamson saw antiaircraft fire and figured it was for the SBDs diving on the ships. Soon enough, Zeros [Annotator's Note: Japanese Mitsubishi A6M fighter aircraft, referred to as the Zeke or Zero] started attacking his squadron [Annotator's Note: Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 241 (VMSB-241)]. One Zero made three runs on Williamson, but did not shoot anyone down. Fifty years after the battle, Williamson met up with his gunner and asked if he shot any of the Japanese. He found out his gunner was actually a radioman. Williamson saw the Japanese pilot waving at him as he flew by. The flight leader put the squadron into a step glide, but when they exited the clouds, Williamson saw no aircraft. He released his bomb over a battleship. After the attack, he headed back to the base, but no other aircraft formed up on him. He looked over and saw a Japanese carrier with aircraft lined up on its deck. Williamson flew to an island near Midway [Annotator's Note: Midway Atoll], Kure [Annotator's Note: Kure Atoll], so he could get his bearings. Another plane formed up on him and headed towards Midway. The pilot thought he was the only survivor. A large formation of Japanese bombers hit the island as Williamson was forming up with his squadron. Almost all of the American fighters had been destroyed. Williamson landed on Midway and was scheduled to take off with four SBDs for a night time bombing run on a burning Japanese carrier. He did not turn is lights on, instead he watched the flare of the engines. The bombers did not find their target because of how dark it was. The squadron missed the island, but Williamson saw the reflection of burning fuel on the island. He tried to tell the flight leader, but he did not have his radio on. The unit flew 50 miles past the island before Williamson could contact anyone. They went into a descending glide out of the clouds. The leader crashed his plane, but everyone else survived.

The following morning, Leon Williamson was sent to attack two heavy cruisers west of Midway Island [Annotator's Note: Battle of Midway 4 to 7 June 1942]. On his way to his target, he saw a submarine heading to Midway. He saw an oil slick near the cruisers. He thinks that while trying to damage the submarine, the ships collided, causing damage. Flying 5,000 feet above the ships, the SB2U3s [Annotator's Note: Vought SB2U Vindicator dive bomber] went into a glide. Williamson saw smoke coming from his flight leader's [Annotator's Note: US Marine Corps Captain Richard Eugene Fleming] plane. The flight leader crashed into one of the cruisers and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor [Annotator's Note: the Medal of Honor is the highest award a United States service member can receive who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor]. Williamson was the number two man. He flew through a cloud and released his bomb over the other cruiser, then flew close to the water. He does not know if he hit the ship. There were only four SB2U3s left, but by the end of the third attack, Williamson was the only one left. The SBDs [Annotator's Note: Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber] also attacked the cruisers. After the attack, Williamson's engine started cutting out. He tried to land near the submarine, but the boat submerged. Later in life, Williamson met some of the men on the submarine and found out why it submerged. The heavy cruisers were heading back to the west. Henderson [Annotator's Note: US Marine Corps Major Lofton Henderson] had arrived a few weeks before the attack and was well liked by the pilots. Around 5 May, Admiral Nimitz [Annotator's Note: US Navy Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Sr., Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet] visited the island. He shook the hands of all the pilots. It was then that Williamson knew the Japanese would be attacking. They managed to scrape up a few SB2U3s as well as the 16 SBDs that arrived before the battle.

A few weeks after the battle [Annotator's Note: Battle of Midway, 4 to 6 June 1942], Leon Williamson returned to Ewa [Annotator's Note: Ewa Field, Oahu, Hawaii] and formed a new squadron. He was then transferred to Guadalcanal [Annotator's Note: Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands]. During the Battle of Midway [Annotator's Note: Battle of Midway 4 to 7 June 1942]. Williamson did not know the Navy was active. He knew some torpedo planes had made some runs. He also knew the Air Force sent out some B-26s [Annotator's Note: B-26 Marauder medium bomber], but only a few remained. He thought his unit [Annotator's Note: Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 241 (VMSB-241)] was holding the line alone. Some carrier planes landed on Midway Island, which was when Williamson found out the Navy was fighting. There was no radio communication. Williamson was in the air when the Japanese attacked the island, but he saw a Japanese formation heading for it. He did not know the Navy had sunk any enemy carriers. He was specifically ordered to attack the enemy carriers, but he never saw them. Zeros [Annotator's Note: Japanese Mitsubishi A6M fighter aircraft, referred to as the Zeke or Zero] were attacking Williamson's squadron. One performed aerial moves that Williamson had never seen before. He thought their planes were very good. The airmen did not talk about the Japanese planes before the war. They saw the Japanese planes in action during the Pearl Harbor attack [Annotator's Note: the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii on 7 December 1941]. He does not think any enemy planes were shot down. Williamson heard rumors of an attack before it happened. He knew many of the men who had been lost at Wake Island and thought he would be in the same situation. He wanted to do as much damage as possible. When he came out of the clouds, he went into a glide run, so he could not search for the carrier. It was not until he was out of his run that he saw some carriers. Williamson saw reports of other SB2U3 [Annotator's Note: Vought SB2U Vindicator dive bomber] pilots that they were attacked by Zeros after their runs, but he was not. He felt lucky to not see any enemy planes on his return flight. He knew how big the victory was when he saw the results of it. He was awarded the Navy Cross [Annotator's Note: the Navy Cross is the second-highest award a United States sailor or Marine can receive for a heroic or meritorious deed performed in a conflict with an armed enemy] by Admiral Nimitz [Annotator's Note: US Navy Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz, Sr., Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet]. Williamson lost a third of the pilots in his unit in the battle. His plane did not have a dive flap. The SBD [Annotator's Note: Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber] was faster and more rugged than his plane. Williamson was placed in a new dive bomber squadron after the battle and put in a SBD.

Leon Williamson returned to Ewa [Annotator's Note: Ewa Field, Oahu, Hawaii] in late June [Annotator's Note: June 1944], had some R&R [Annotator's Note: rest and recuperation], and was put into his new squadron. The unit began practicing in SBDs [Annotator's Note: Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber]. During this time, Williamson had a tooth extracted. During the extraction, he contracted an infection but still reported to go to Guadalcanal [Annotator's Note: Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands]. He had a temperature of 104 degrees, but was able to fly to his ship. Williamson was sent to the hospital, so he did not arrive in August with his group. He arrived on Guadalcanal in November with VMSB-233 [Annotator's Note: Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 233 (VMSB-233)]. When he arrived, Japanese troops were still on the island and they were being resupplied. Williamson was stationed at Henderson Field, named for his former commander [Annotator's Note: US Marine Corps Major Lofton Henderson] who was killed during the Battle of Midway [Annotator's Note: Battle of Midway 4 to 7 June 1942]. He thought it was an honor. He first heard its name before he went to the island. It took 20 days to arrive at Guadalcanal. There were many targets for him. The Japanese were building an airfield on the island. Williamson bombed it regularly. He lived in a tent and he was fed twice a day. He ate plenty of rice. In early December [Annotator's Note: December 1942], there were three men who had been at Ewa before the war. Those three were sent back in either February or March. He was given R&R in Sidney, Australia, before being sent back to the United States. His CO [Annotator's Note: commanding officer] was replaced by the second in command, who did not like to fly. On Guadalcanal, he worked as a forward observer. On Australia, Williamson found out he was senior to that officer, so he spoke to a general about it, who told him he was the CO. The following day, he was sent back, and did not receive credit as the unit's CO. The original commander was killed in an airplane accident. One aircraft was kept over the Japanese controlled area at all times. Williamson saw people along the coast. They would stop and possibly shoot at the planes. While flying along the other side of the island, Williamson saw friendly natives in need of help. He dropped a message to those people. The men were on one day and off the next day. The Japanese were no longer shelling the island when Williamson left. One of his best friends was in the first group to go to the island. He talked Williamson into joining the Marine Corps. That friend died in an airplane accident.

Leon Williamson was transferred back to the United States and was sent to Cherry Point [Annotator's Note: Marine Air Station Cherry Point, Havelock, North Carolina], where he was the squadron commander of VMSM-333 [Annotator's Note: Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 333 (VMSB-333)]. When he arrived at San Diego [Annotator's Note: San Diego, California], all of the squadron's supplies were taken from them. He was sent back to Midway [Annotator's Note: Midway Island], where he remained for a year doing submarine patrol and practicing in SBDs [Annotator's Note: Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber] and SB2Cs [Annotator's Note: Curtiss SB2C Helldiver dive bomber]. Williamson thought it was better than the first time he was on the island. There were tennis courts, handball courts, and he was able to swim and spear fish. Williamson returned to Midway Island for the 50th Reunion of the battle [Annotator's Note: Battle of Midway, 4 to 7 June 1942]. He had been on Eastern Island, where he slept underground. The Battle of Midway was important because the Japanese could have used it to capture Hawaii. When he returned for the reunion, he saw dead gooney birds, overgrown runways, and trees. Williamson had been a building ground officer prior to the war. He planted some trees during that time. The second time he was stationed on the island, Williamson lived in a Quonset hut [Annotator's Note: prefabricated barracks]. At the reunion, all of the huts were gone. There was a memorial on the island. On Sand Island, there was a big ceremony. The island is closed down. Eventually, Williamson returned to Oahu [Annotator's Note: Oahu, Hawaii], which is where he was when the war ended. He met his future wife in Hawaii in December 1941. She had been working for Sears, then the Army Corps of Engineers. Her sister had been living out there and was married to a Navy captain. Williamson met her at a party. A few months later they started dating. When he returned from Guadalcanal [Annotator's Note: Guadalcanal, Solomon Islands], they started dating again and got married. Williamson was discharged and returned to school. He attended the University of California at Berkley [Annotator's Note: Berkley, California], where he received another degree. He started a job with the LA County [Annotator's Note: Los Angeles County, California] Parks Department. Williamson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross [Annotator's Note: US Armed Forces award for heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight] for his actions on Guadalcanal and also four Air Medals [Annotator's Note: US Armed Forces medal for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while in aerial flight]. After five missions, an airman was awarded an Air Medal. After so many, an airman is awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. After his discharge, Williamson did reserve duty and was called up for service in Korea [Annotator's Note: Korean War, 1950 to 1953] and did three years there. He served for 21 years and retired as a colonel. Williamson believes he might be the last man of his unit [Annotator's Note: Marine Scout Bombing Squadron 241 (VMSB-241)] from Midway. He was about 25 years old at the Battle of Midway. He was considered a young guy when he arrived in Oahu. Williamson thought Major Henderson [Annotator's Note: US Marine Corps Major Lofton Henderson] was a nice guy and was well liked. He did not fly the Vindicator [Annotator's Note: Vought SB2U Vindicator dive bomber] after the Battle of Midway. The struts on the plane were long and it was easy to lose control of it.