William A. Loughlin, Jr. (Ret. Air Force Lt. Col.) of Milton, formerly of Connecticut, passed away peacefully on June 23, 2016. He served his country for 23 years in the Army Air Corp and Air Force as a pilot and officer spanning three wars and the transition of aircraft from the propeller to the jet age. He was a pilot and flight instructor who proudly and honorably served in WW II, Korea and Vietnam. Bill joined the Army Air Corp after two years of college in the midst of WW II and completed pilot training in 1944. He went on to fly over 25 combat missions in the B-24 Liberator from Italy in bombing raids over heavily defended areas like Ploesti and Munich. Following the war he played a vital role in the Berlin Airlift flying the C-47 Skytrain and C-46 Commando into Berlin in support of Allied forces and civilians when the USSR cut off all rail and road transportation. During the Korean War he set up and commanded a radar site in the Punsan Perimeter and eventually relocated it near Seoul after the Inchon landings. After Korea he served as a flight instructor in the states in the T-33 Shooting Star and B-47 Stratojet. During the Vietnam War he ended his long and dedicated service to his country in Strategic Air Command as a B-52 Stratofortress pilot in New York and Maine. His honorable service and performance garnered him numerous awards and medals that he rarely mentioned, and would always downplay. He earned his PH.D. from University of Connecticut.The beloved husband of Rita M. (Riley) Loughlin of Milton and the late Rosemary (McConnell) Loughlin, he was the devoted father of William Christopher Loughlin of CT, Marcia and Cynthia Loughlin, both of Quincy, Michael Loughlin of Alaska, Mark Loughlin of Cohasset, William N. Conlin, Jr. of Chatham, Richard Jaime Conlin of Quincy, and John A., David A. and Anne B. Conlin, all of Milton. A cherished father-in-law, grandfather and great grandfather, he was also the dear brother of Catherine of Albuquerque, NM and the late Mary Loughlin. A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Elizabeth Church, Milton, Monday at 10 am. Visiting hours will be held at the Alfred D. Thomas Funeral Home, 326 Granite Ave., Milton, Sunday 5 to 7 PM. Burial in Milton Cemetery. In lieu of flowers expressions of sympathy may be made Operation Homefront, 21 Franklin St., Ste. 2, Quincy, MA 02169.