William Perry was sworn into the Army Air Corps at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and attended aviation training at Glendale, Arizona and Bakersfield California.

He was commissioned a 2nd Lieutenant and attended flight school in South Carolina, Arkansas and was a Basic Instructor, Link Trainer Officer, Security Officer and served on the Advisory Training Board before attending fighter pilot training at Fort Myers and Tallahassee, Florida.

From there Perry was assigned to the 8th Air Force, 339th Fighter Group, 503rd Fighter Squadron in Fowlmere, England. He flew 61 missions with 300 hours of combat time.

After World War II, Perry had many assignments, including Hospital Liaison Officer, Squadron Commanding Officer, T-6 Flying Instructor and others.

During the Korean War, Perry was assigned to the 20th Air Force in Okinawa as a Communication Staff Officer, and flew the C-47 from Okinawa to Sole.

From there, Perry was reassigned to the Staff and Command Communication Electronic Training Center at Maxwell AFB, Montgomery, Alabama. He then moved to the Pentagon, Room 4A 284, serving in the Communications Electronic Division.

Perry attended Maryland University and earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Military Science before being transferred to the 3rd Air Force in Ruislip, England as C-F Staff Officer.

Perry then returned to Washington D.C. to the newly formed Defense Communication Agency. From there, he transferred back to the Pentagon — to the same exact office as before, 4A 284 — before being assigned to Vietnam.

In Vietnam, Perry flew the C-47 Gooney Bird, dropping leaflets during the day and millions of candle flares at night to provide light for the fighter attacks.

After returning to the US, Perry was assigned to Richard Gebrur AFB, Missouri, where he was a Staff Officer for the 10th Air Force Headquarters.

William Perry retired from military duty after 28 years of service and a total of more than six years of overseas service.