Captain Willis was the pilot of a B-26C Invader bomber with the 729th Bomber Squadron, 452nd Bomber Wing. On 3 September 1951, while returning from a night intruder mission, as it made the go-around, the aircraft crashed and burned about 1/4 mile from the end of the runway, killing all on board.

Willis was awarded the Purple Heart, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.