A flag flies in memory of a Superior man who served his country in the U.S. Navy during the Cold War.
The American flag is raised at 9 a.m. Friday in front of the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center for William E. "Bill" Duffy.
Duffy was born on July 10, 1929 - although Navy records say 1928 - in Menomonie, Wis. He was the son of William and Pearl Duffy.
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Duffy joined the Navy at age 17 and completed basic training at the Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Illinois. He served on several Navy Vessels including the USS Ascelia, USS Natchaug, and the USS Gypsy, and loved the Navy. He always had stories to share about his military service and particularly enjoyed his tour of duty at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii.
After Duffy was discharged, he returned to Menomonie and soon after began sailing on ore boats throughout the Great Lakes from 1948 to 1960. Bill then sailed for relief work for M.A. Hanna for 10 years. After his sailing career, Duffy became a licensed boiler engineer and retired as chief boiler engineer for Bayer & Company.
Duffy married Letty Trainor on Feb. 15, 1950, in Menomonie. On their 25th wedding anniversary, he took Letty to Hawaii, assuming the island would be the same tropical paradise he remembered while in the Navy. Unfortunately, to Duffy's great disappointment, it was not. Now, there were many hotels, malls, endless expressways with so much traffic. However, Letty had nothing to compare Hawaii with and she simply loved the island.
Duffy was a loyal member of the Richard I. Bong American Legion Post 435 for many years. He actively participated in the Post's Honor Guard and Color Guard. Bill passed away Aug. 5, 2016.
This flag raising is free and open to the public.
For more information about the Flag of Remembrance Program, contact John Vaski at (715) 394-7693; Scott Markle at (218) 269-4675 or leave a message at the Richard I. Bong Veterans Historical Center or (715) 392-7151, info@bvhcenter.org .
