William Kohanek, son of William J. Kohanek and Anna Kadlec, brother to Leslie, Cleon, Auralea, and godfather to Diane Kohanek, died in 1942 while on base. He was married to Dorothy.
Newspaper Article:
"Sergeant Killed in Crash of Jeep" Arizona Daily Star, Dec. 18, 1942 Sgt. William Kohanek, of Davis-Monthan Field, was killed and two other men seriously injured early last night when the jeep in which the three were riding overturned four miles north of Sahuarita on the Nogales Highway. Critically hurt is Pvt. John D. Jean, and seriously injured, but expected to recover, is Pvt. Frank Barron, the driver. The three were on duty, going to the bombing range which lies a few miles beyond Sahuarita. According to Barron, he was forced to swerve the jeep suddenly to avoid running into cattle crossing the road. He added that he was thrown out of the car which, according to investigating officers, skidded for 126 feet and then rolled over four times before coming to a stop. The public relations office at Davis-Monthan Field said last night that the men were on an emergency mission. Kohanek is the son of Mrs. Anna Kohanek, 124 Bedford Street, southeast, Minneapolis, MN. He was recently married in Minneapolis. Here at Davis-Monthan he was a member of one of the combat squadrons, and described as "an outstandiang man." Pvt. Jean's home town is Epping, New Hampshire, while Pvt. Barron is from Pittsburgh, Okla. A board, headed by Maj. Raymond L. Cobb, last night began an investigation of the accident."
