Posted by Jerry Cecil on April 11, 2021:

Bill left us on Easter morning. I lost a genuine friend. Bill and I were in Beast Barracks in 1961. Although we were never in the same Cadet companies, we were in the same Regiment. The Academic Department (Math) made me a 'turnback' to the Class of 1966. My next encounter with Bill was in the summer and fall of 1967. He was in the 4th Bn, 503rd Inf, 173rd Abn Bde when I arrived in Vietnam. We ran into each other on the massif Ngok Kom Leat in the Central Highlands in July while patrolling. The next time I saw Bill was on Saturday, 11 Nov 1967 in late afternoon when his company, C/4/503, came to the rescue of TF Black (C & D, 1/503). The battle had been raging for about six hours, when under Bill's leadership his company 'fought their way' to get to us. When I saw him coming down the hill in the low light triple canopy jungle, I said, "Bill, what took you so long?" in a 'gallows humor' sort of way. For years, he 'ragged' me about that remark at every reunion, phone call, or email. We never lost touch with each other since that day. After Vietnam, we both were assigned to the Ranger Department. In the early 1970s, we served together as Company Commanders in 1/23 Inf, 2ID, at Camp Hovey, ROK. We later served in the Pentagon at the same time. Bill was in the Secretariat in Manpower and Reserve Affairs and I was in the Operations Directorate. Bill came to the 173rd Ft. Benning reunion in 2016. He suggested we go to lunch with Fred Scruggs at Fred's favorite cafAA(c) in Columbus. As it turned out, it was the last time either of us saw Fred. Bill was always very thoughtful of others, especially his classmates and friends. In 2017, Bill joined us in Lexington, KY to honor the 50th Anniversary of the 1967 TF Black battle, his pivotal role in our rescue, and to remember those we lost that day. That was the last time I saw Bill, but we kept up our regular commo, late night phone calls, emails, and even texting until a few days before Easter. I will miss Bill's friendship, his humor, his steadfastness, and his commitment to his soldiers every step of the way. RIP good and trusted buddy!

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