William Henry Drumm

William Henry “Bill” Drumm, a military man through and through, a veteran of WWII, the Korean Conflict, and Vietnam died Jan. 31, 2022, in Alb., NM at 97 years of age.

Bill, a passionate aviator, joined the Army Air Corps (Dec.1, 1942) and became a pilot, then a Flying Tiger in the 14th Air Force, in the Pacific theatre -- China, Burma, and India -- of WWII. There in 1945 he flew the “Hump” a famous mission across the Himalayas. Bill and his flight crew managed to complete 27 missions before the war ended in 1945.

His military career continued through the Korean Conflict where he had his first assignment to Japan (the staging ground for US’s war in Korea) for over 2 years starting in 1950. Bill was later assigned to Kirtland Air Force Base (Sandia) to be comptroller of the Nevada Test Site (underground atomic testing) and White Sands Missile Range. Completing that assignment, he was sent to his last war, Vietnam, to be comptroller of Phan Rang Air Force Base, the largest fighter group in the country. Upon returning from Vietnam to NM, he retired from the Air Force as a Lt Colonel in 1970.

Bill met his wife of 67 years, Mary Lou (Maloney) Drumm, at the first Freshman Mixer (dance) between the men of St Benedict's Collage and the women of its sister school, Mount St Scholastica, in Atchison, KS. They married June 6, 1946, after the war and went on to have 6 children in the decade following. David P (1947), Michael J (1948; 2 children: Matthew and Miriam), Deborah E (Drumm) Bove (1950-1987; 1 child: Nathan), Daniel D (1953; 1 child: Karl), Miriam Drumm Plett (1954; 2 children: Rachel and Joshua), and Martha K (Drumm) Chapman (1957; 2 children: Sarah, stepdaughter, and Samuel. In the last tally, Bill had a total of 8 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren, with one on the way, when he passed. “May his tribe increase.”

“Wiley” as Mary Lou sometimes called him, had a decades long connection to his friends and work, most especially those of the NM Civil Air Patrol where he flew after his military retirement. He earned the status of Octogenarian Pilot by flying solo past the age of 80. As a member of the Civil Air Patrol, he flew in and render aid at national emergencies and disaster sites around the US. His favorite mission? Flying as part of the NM Civil Air Patrol group sent to New Orleans in the wake of hurricane Katrina. Quote “It’s great out here! We’re staying in hangars at the airport, sleeping on cots while rats run over us at night!”. There was utter joy in his voice, youth certainly, and much laughter when he phoned from the damaged airport ramp.

Bill was born in Chicago, IL on Apr. 3, 1924, to William Henry Drumm Sr. and Mary Annette (Krause) Drumm. He is preceded in death by them, his wife Mary Lou and daughter Deborah, as well as his siblings Robert Drumm and Marilyn (Drumm) Woolweaver.

Three services are being held to honor his passing: Rosary -- Eulogy -- Commemoration: Mar. 4, 2022, 6pm, FRENCH-Wyoming. Funeral Mass: Mar. 5, 2022, 10am, Risen Savior Catholic Church at 7701 Wyoming Blvd., NE, Alb., NM. Interment Ceremony at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, TX, Mar. 11, 2022, 10:30am.

In lieu of flowers send donations to the Benedictine Mission House, 1123 Road I, P.O. Box 528, Schuyler, Nebraska 68661-0528