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Contact Info
Home Town Passiac
Date of Passing Feb 12, 2017
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
William volunteered to join the U.S. Navy in 1943 at age 17. He graduated with distinction from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1949 with a degree in electrical engineering. In 1950 he began 66 years of marriage with his beloved wife Emma Marie Heuer (Mickey Wynne). Following their marriage, he completed graduate work in civil engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1951.
During his 33 years on active duty he was a Company Commander with ACB-ONE in Korea, AOICC for a catapult and arresting gear test facility at Lakehurst NJ, Project Officer for the Pressurized Water Reactor and Surface Ship Reactors for the Naval Reactor Office in Pittsburgh, served as AOICC in Vietnam, Executive Officer of the Construction Battalion Center at Davisville, RI, was OICC Thailand and was Commanding Officer of the Public Works Center at Pearl Harbor. He retired with the rank of Captain in 1976. He was awarded the Legion of Merit and the Bronze Star with Combat V, and member of "The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant of Thailand".
After retirement from the Navy he began a second career with Ebasco Services and Raytheon Engineers. He was the project manager for the Tokamak Fusion test reactor. He also worked on projects at the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory, Tennessee Valley Authority facilities and multiple department of engineer facilities. In addition, he managed U.S Embassy security upgrades globally. He was responsible for Department of Energy Security Regulations. He continued to work for Raytheon until September 11, 2001.
Other Comments:
A quote from his son, Wm. Wynne Jr.
"My Father’s 33 years in uniform were guided by a single principal: No human being, regardless of race, faith or nationality, deserves to live in a totalitarian police state. While most people would agree with this, my Father is one of the men who care if this is happening to families on the other side of the globe, even if they are not Christians, don’t speak English and don’t have anything America needs. Just being a human trying to raise a family in peace is enough. My Father is a realist who understands that the last resort will always be free men with weapons meeting the totalitarians in battle. Since he joined the U.S. Navy at age 17, he has been willing to be one of these men. Yet my Father did not fight with just the tools of war. He felt that ending a violent communist insurgency in Northern Thailand in 1972 was a major triumph. His “weapon” that gained the loyalty of the Hill Tribes was providing medical care for their families".
“Real freedom is the sustained act of being an individual.” WW – 2009.
