High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Willie Gillis, Jr. (more commonly simply Willie Gillis) is a fictional character created by Norman Rockwell for a series of World War II paintings that appeared on the cover of The Saturday Evening Post (henceforth Post). A fictional private, he appeared on a total of eleven Post covers. Gillis was a fictional everyman whose career was tracked on the cover of the Post from induction through discharge without being depicted in battle. Gillis and his fictional girlfriend were artistic depictions of some of Rockwell`s real-life acquaintances who served as his models.