William Benjamin served in the United States Army Air Force as Private First Class, 831st Bomber Squadron, 485th Bomber Group (Heavy) during World War II. He was a passenger on the S.S. Paul Hamilton (Hull Number 227), which was carrying supplies and ground personnel to Italy. On the evening of April 20, 1944, the Hamilton and other ships in the convoy were attacked by German bombers 30 miles off the coast of Cape Bengut near Algiers in the Mediterranean Sea. The ship and crew disappeared within 30 seconds, killing approximately 580 men. He was awarded the Purple Heart.
