Navigator

Before World War II, William John Sullivan was a young carpenter and college student helping build a future for himself and his family in Arizona. Facing the draft, he entered Army Air Forces officer training. After washing out of pilot school, he discovered an unexpected talent for navigation and went on to navigate some of the most remote and dangerous regions of the Pacific war.

Assigned to the 90th Bomb Group in the Southwest Pacific, Sullivan flew long-range reconnaissance and combat missions from New Guinea across thousands of miles of ocean, jungle, and enemy-held territory. Flying aboard B-24 Liberators, he and his fellow airmen faced mechanical failures, tropical weather, uncertain intelligence, and enemy fighters while operating in one of the most demanding theaters of World War II.

From Hawaii to Christmas Island, Port Moresby, Rabaul, Manado, and beyond, Sullivan's story captures both the technical challenge of wartime navigation and the daily realities of life in a combat squadron. His missions ranged from photographic reconnaissance and over-water navigation to bombing attacks, search operations, and some of the longest flights conducted in the Pacific theater.

Yet Navigator is more than a combat memoir. Told with honesty, humor, and humility, it follows Sullivan's journey from Depression-era childhood through military service and ultimately home again. Along the way he recounts friendships, losses, unexpected adventures, hard-earned confidence, and the discovery that the young man who once doubted his abilities was capable of far more than he imagined.

Illustrated with photographs, maps, and documents preserved by the Sullivan family, Navigator combines firsthand memoir, historical context, and personal reflection to create a vivid portrait of a generation shaped by war. The narrative preserves not only Sullivan's experiences but also the stories of the pilots, bombardiers, navigators, engineers, radio operators, and gunners who served beside him, including many who did not return.

Based on Sullivan's wartime memoirs, later autobiographical writings, mission records, photographs, and family archives, this edition presents the story in his own voice whenever possible. It is both a family history and a firsthand account of America's air war in the Southwest Pacific, honoring the men whose skill, courage, and perseverance carried them across some of the most challenging battlefields of World War II.