Dixson I. Wands served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as a First Lieutenant with the 729th Bomb Squadron, 452nd Bomb Group, Heavy, during World War II. A Pilot of a B-17 Flying Fortress (#42-39971), he was killed on April 21, 1944, when he lost control of his plane shortly after takeoff in heavy turbulence in poor weather conditions at the 95th Bomb Group Station at Horham, England. He was awarded the Air Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters and Purple Heart.
