End of Watch March 7, 1948
Age 47
The Vigil Panel 84 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Investigator William Honkala succumbed to injuries sustained in a vehicle crash two days earlier on Route 17 in Waverly, New York, while traveling there from Binghamton to conduct an investigation. He was attempting to pass a slow-moving vehicle when the vehicle suddenly pulled in front of him. As he attempted to pull back into his lane he struck a culvert and then a large tree. He was transported to the local hospital where he died two days later. Investigator Honkala was a U.S. Marine Corps veteran of WWI and WWII.

Survivors

He was survived by his wife, daughter, and mother.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-FED-E70B1489
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
August 2, 2026
Last updated
August 2, 2026

Honored here by 1 tribute.

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Also honored at salute.nw — U.S. Marine Corps. One record, 2 gates. William is one person.

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Tributes

I served 1985 to 1993. You served too, before the badge - different uniform, same idea. You go where you are sent and you do not get to pick the call.
Investigator Honkala served with the United States Department of the Treasury.
Thank you for your service. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, brother.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Type Federal Agency
Location Washington, DC
Platform Identity usdtirsatufed.fed.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch March 7, 1948
Age 47
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Accident

Military Service

William Honkala served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

View full service record on salute.nw →

Investigator William Honkala is one of 1 officers lost to accidents in the line of duty across the full record of this memorial — 0% of all 97,772 officers honored here.

In DC, 453 of 1,418 officers were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 31.9% of this state's fallen. That is 31.9 percentage points above the national rate of 0%.

At United States Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service - Alcohol Tax Unit, 11 of 30 officers on record were lost to accidents in the line of duty — 36.7% of this agency's fallen.

United States Department of the Treasury - Internal Revenue Service - Alcohol Tax Unit
11
of 30 officers
36.7% Accident
DC — Statewide
453
of 1,418 officers
31.9% Accident
Nationwide
1
of 97,772 officers
0% Accident

National Cause Distribution

How Accident compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. William Honkala's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
1 (0%)
Accident
1 (0%)
Illness
1 (0%)
Cardiac
1 (0%)
Undetermined
1 (0%)
Suicide
1 (0%)

How William Honkala Compares

Age at Death
47
This officer
Avg for Accident: 38.1 years

When Accident Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Accident deaths across the full memorial record. William Honkala is highlighted in Mar.

Jan
820
Feb
730
Mar
748
Apr
708
May
848
Jun
797
Jul
899
Aug
938
Sep
913
Oct
925
Nov
872
Dec
897

Incident Location

Military Service

William Honkala served in the U.S. Marine Corps before joining law enforcement.

Visit William Honkala’s page on salute.nw →

His full service record — units, decorations, where he served — is kept on salute.nw.