During World War II it was not uncommon for men and women on active duty to find their lifetime mate and be married.  Aviation Machinist Mate Second Class William Arthur McNeil and Seaman First Class Katherine Anne Gately were one such couple.  The picture was taken in the base chapel at Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida, on August 21, 1945 when they were married.

William Arthur McNeil was reportedly born on December 21, 1923.  He joined the Navy during World War II and became a tail gunner on a Navy PB4Y patrol bomber.  Upon returning from the South Pacific, McNeil was assigned to Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Florida.  In February 1945 he was with a group of three other sailors and while at a table next to a group of Waves, one of the men made the remark, “I bet they wouldn’t consider us.  They’re officer material.”  This brought laughter from the men.  The next day McNeil saw S1 Gately, one of the Waves, eating alone and asked if he could join her.  By the time they finished eating, McNeil had asked for a date and in August 1945 they were married.

When World War II was concluded, McNeil and his new bride were discharged from the Navy.  McNeil returned to work for a drafting company where he had been employed before the war.  Eventually he found a better job working for a heavy equipment company as a quality machine engineer and he reportedly worked here until retiring in 1986. 

William Arthur McNeil died on October 19, 1999 survived by his wife and four children.  He is interred at Florida National Cemetery in Bushnell, Florida, where his memorial marker carries the inscription:  AMM2  -  US NAVY  -  WORLD WAR II.  His wife later died in January 2020 and now rests beside him at Florida National Cemetery.

Submitted by CDR Roy A. Mosteller, USNR (Ret)