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flag In 1943, U.S. pilot Kenneth Williams was captured by Germany; Nazi propaganda seized his jacket to discredit him, but Allied airmen turned the insult into a badge of honor.

flag In November 1943, U.S. Army Air Forces bombardier Kenneth Daniel Williams was shot down over Germany and captured, becoming a prisoner of war. flag His flight jacket, marked with the name "Murder, Inc." from his former aircraft, was seized by Nazi propaganda chief Joseph Goebbels, who used it to falsely portray American airmen as criminal gangsters. flag The effort backfired as Allied pilots embraced the nickname with pride, turning it into a symbol of courage. flag Williams, a North Carolina native and Belmont Abbey College graduate with no criminal ties, was liberated by Soviet forces in May 1945 and returned home to widespread public admiration, including hundreds of letters celebrating his legacy.

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