- William Ecker
Infobox Military Person
name=Capt. William B. Ecker
born=April 6 ,1924
died=
placeofbirth=Omaha, Nebraska
placeofdeath=
|caption=
nickname=
allegiance=flagicon|United States
branch=United States Navy
serviceyears=1942-1974
rank=Captain
commands= Light Photographic Squadron (VFP) 62
unit=
battles=World War II Cuban Missile Crisis
awards=Distinguished Flying Cross
relations=
laterwork=
portrayedby=Christopher Lawford in "Thirteen Days" William Ecker (bornApril 6 ,1924 ) Ecker was born inOmaha, Nebraska , USA. He served in theUnited States Navy from 1942 until 1974. He is most famous for his role in theCuban Missile Crisis in 1962. OnOctober 23 ,1962 , he led the first low-level reconnaissance flight over Cuba and (together with his wing man Lieutenant Bruce Wilhelmy) took the first close-up photos of the Soviet missile bases in Cuba. During this mission, they both flewF-8 Crusader aircraft.After the end of the Missile Crisis, Ecker received the
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) for his service. The unit he commanded,VFP-62 , received the first peacetimeNavy Unit Commendation in history from PresidentJohn F. Kennedy in a ceremony onNovember 26 ,1962 .In 2000, his actions were depicted in the movie "Thirteen Days", which was produced by
Kevin Costner . In this movie, he was played byChristopher Lawford .Captain William B. Ecker (USN Retired) currently lives in Florida.
External links
* [http://www.vfp62.com/commanders.html VFP 62 Web Site]
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