William Chauncey Barott

West Point, 1951

Be Thou At Peace

Posted by Jose A. "Andy" Chacon on August 22, 2004:

William Chauncey Barott Born February 17, 1927 - KIA-RVN November 4, 1966 William Chauncey Barott, known as Bill and Chance to his family and his friends, was born 7 September 1928 at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, the son of William Edwin and Madeline M. Barott. As an Army brat, he spent his boyhood in many places including California, Texas, Tennessee, New York, and the Panama Canal Zone. Having been accepted at the Coast Guard Academy, it was a fortuitous congressional appointment to West Point which opened the door to an Army career. Chance was always a consummate athlete. His first love was the great outdoors In July 1947, Chance joined the Corps and was assigned to the 7th New Cadet Company in the South Area barracks. I recall our first meeting during those early Beast Barracks days because I was impressed by his good humor, his infectious smile and his "can do" attitude. He had a weight lifter's physique and always kept himself in top condition, but even emotionally he seemed better prepared for the rigors of Beast Barracks than most of us, and in characteristic fashion, he was instrumental in maintaining high spirits among his classmates. In September we joined Company C-2 which became our residence for the next four years. In those days we were still assigned to companies according to height. Here, his circle of friends continued to expand. He had a genuine quality of caring and sharing about him, and always that big, friendly smile! Getting into the swing of academics, and the return of the upperclassmen, did not seem to phase Chance to any degree. His mischievous nature cost him many a pre-meal visitation to upper class rooms, "on call", to recite all sorts of plebe knowledge. The rough periods were smoothed over by the receipt of frequent "care packages" from home. The best cakes I've ever tasted, usually delivered by close family friends, which also meant a special Sunday lunch at the Thayer. On graduation, anyone who chose to, could take parachute training at Fort Benning and earn the wings, but only a limited number of the Class could then be assigned to a permanent airborne unit. Chance selected Infantry and was assigned to the 82nd Airborne Division, and thus began his Army career as a platoon leader in the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. In June 1952, Chance returned to New York where he married his OAO, Patricia Leyden. With the Korean conflict in full swing, Chance wanted to be a part of it and he obtained orders and became a platoon leader with the 38th infantry Regiment of the famed 2nd "Indianhead" Division, where he was awarded the Combat Infantry Badge and the Bronze Star Medal. Routine assignments followed, including the Advanced Infantry Course at Fort Benning, a choice assignment with the Berlin Brigade, the Command and General Staff College, and a return to his first love, the 82nd Airborne Division in 1964. In 1966, after attending the Military Assistance Training Advisor and Vietnamese language courses at Fort Bragg, Chance was sent to Vietnam. He fully expected to be assigned to an ARVN unit as an advisor, although his hope was to command a battalion. In a typical Chance Barott scenario, disdaining several offers from senior friends to assist in his quest for a command, he shopped around on his own, using his record, experience and motivation as his marketing tools, It paid off. On 28 July 1966 he was given orders to report to the 25th Infantry Division where on 5 August 1966 he took command of the 2nd Battalion, 27th Infantry. These had to be exhilarating days for this man who had devoted his life to the profession of arms. In a letter just after receiving command of the battalion, he wrote, "Needless to say, I was honored, but I'm still in a state of shock. I haven't been able to close my eyes for two days now because of the excitement and anticipation." On 4 November 1966, during Operation ATTLEBORO, his battalion was sent into the dense jungles some 15 miles east of Tay Ninh to aid a sister battalion which was under heavy attack by the enemy. While he maneuvered his men to hit the enemy flank, several well concealed machine gun bunkers opened up killing or wounding a number of his command. Chance quickly organized an attack force and personally led the assault to knock out the bunkers. During this assault he was hit and killed instantly. He was posthumously awarded the Silver Star for gallantry in action. General John R. Deane, Jr, commanding the 173rd Airborne Brigade, entered the battle area the following day and later wrote Chance's mother, "I heard nothing but glowing praise of Bill, the job he did, his great leadership. Everyone there had the greatest respect for him as an officer and was devoted to him as an individual. You can be extremely proud of Bill. There is none finer." Chance's wonderful family rejoices in the fact that he was a part of their lives and that the foundations and joyous moments remain and continue to provide guidance and strength. His wife, Pat, resides in Syracuse, NY. Sons, William Edwin and John Leyden, are engineers. Daughter Madeline (Dede) is an ophthalmologist. Cynthia is a nurse, and Suzan is in law school. How proud he would have been of their strength, dedication, and commitment to personal and professional growth! He is also survived by his mother, Madeline, his sister, Barbara Lentz, and his grandson, William Chauncey. Each of us who knew Chance Barott has had our lives enriched because of that relationship. You will never become just a faded memory with us, old friend, and as we look into the heavens on a starry evening, we know you're there, and we too are in love with the night. Chance was an Infantry; click on: Our Infantrymen r.a.p.; 18361, wc 1105

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