William George Nutzel was born September 13, 1918 to William and Grace Nutzel of Newark, N.J. In 1936, he enrolled in Saint Peter’s College and by 1939, lived in Nutley, N.J. On June 9, 1940, he graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts from Saint Peter’s College. On December 15, 1941, he enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps as an aviation cadet. He rose to the rank of first lieutenant and was eventually assigned to the 154th Observation Squadron, 68th Observation Group in North Africa.

On a reconnaissance mission over Tunisia on March 22, 1943, Lt. Nutzel’s plane went missing. Listed as killed in action, he was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart. He is memorialized at the North Africa American Cemetery in Carthage, Tunisia. In 1948, the name of Lt. Nutzel was listed on the Memorial of American Legion Post 70 in Nutley. His name is also inscribed on the WWII Memorial in Nutley.