WHEREAS, William Wild Bill Guarnere was born on April 28, 1922, the youngest of ten children born to Joe and Augusta's Italian family in South Philadelphia. Growing up in the Great Depression, he dreamed of becoming an officer in the United States Army. As a senior at South Philadelphia High School, the attack on Pearl Harbor riled up his patriotism and he left high school six months before graduation to begin making Sherman tanks for the army at Baldwin Locomotive Works. Bill switched to the night shift and returned to school, earning his diploma in 1941 to please his mother; and
WHEREAS, In 1942, Bill enlisted in the US Army Paratroopers division, and was assigned to company E, 506th Parachute Regiment, which was a part of the 101st Airborne Division. Bill and his comrades trained hard and he earned the nickname Wild Bill. In December 1942, each man made his five qualifying jumps to receive the coated jump wings. Bill was officially a paratrooper, which was the proudest moment of his young life and remains one of the crowning achievements of his entire life; and
WHEREAS,
Bill lost his leg in the Battle of the Bulge from German 88 shrapnel while attempting to pull from the snow his great friend Joe Toye, who also lost his leg that very same day. Bill's heroism has been documented in countless articles, documentaries, and tribute sites across the globe. He performed a combat parachute jump into Normandy on D-Day and, on September 17, 1944, he combat jumped into Holland for operation Market Garden; and
WHEREAS, On Saturday, March 8, 2014, God, in his infinite wisdom, saw fit to bend down and whisper to William Wild Bill Guarnere, Well done, my good and faithful servant and hero. It is now time to come home and rest. May you find comfort in knowing that man's extremity is God's opportunity: He will never leave you or forsake you; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That the 2200 block of Winton Street, between the intersections with Snyder Avenue and Jackson Street, as Wild Bill Way in recognition of Bill Guarnere's pure dedication to fellow man, love for the City of Philadelphia, and his heroism and willingness to sacrifice all for his Country.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to the friends and family of Bill Guarnere as evidence of the sincere sentiments of this legislative body.
End