My Memorial Day Story!

May 26, 2023

The Death of my best friend!

Sgt. William E. (Bill) Hawkins died 53 years ago. Bill died in the Thua Thien area of South Vietnam while serving as an Army medic aboard a Huey Medical evacuation helicopter. His Huey was struck by ground fire. All personnel aboard the Huey were killed. The date was May 26, 1970. Bill was 21 years old.

Bill was my best friend in high school. We both graduated from Waynesboro High School, Class of 1967. I remember our high school days. Bill was a skinny kid, about 5′ 9″, weighing 140 lbs. He had red hair and always had a smile on his face. Bill was raised by his grandmother in a very poor area of the town. Both Bill’s parents were killed in a car accident while Bill was very young. Bill always wore short-sleeved plaid shirts in high school rotating them using some sort of method. Bill was a good student, much better than me and finished WHS with a “B” average.

During our junior and senior years Bill ran track and earned varsity letters both years. His grandmother bought Bill a white cardigan sweater to display his letters. Bill wore the sweater year-round. Bill was a very pleasant young man and a good friend.

The summer of 1967 Bill vacationed with my family the Claytor Lake State Park. My Dad rented a cabin on the lake. My four younger siblings loved Bill. One evening while trying to make the kids laugh, Bill attempted a handstand on a bar stool and fell on his head, causing a large cut above his right eye. It took 12 stitches to close the wound. Bill thought the wound made him look dangerous!

That fall, we both went away to college. Bill entered VPI (Va. Tech) and I went to East Tenn. State. Bill used scholarships, grants, and loans to pay his expenses. We were both in Army ROTC. Since WHS was such a good high school, our freshmen grades were excellent. Bill and I visited each other 2-3 times that school year. While in college, we were exempt from the selective service draft.

Regrettably, Bill and I agreed to pledge social fraternities our sophomore years. We had great fun, but our grades declined, and Bill lost his draft deferment. Bill enlisted in the Army, serving in the 326 Medical Battalion of the 101st Airborne. Bill’s training was at Ft. Campbell and in Frankfort, Germany. Bill was trained as a Medic and nicknamed “Doc.”

Six months later, June of 1970, I noticed a dark green sedan coming up my gavel driveway. Two uniformed men knocked on my door to inform me that Bill had died in Vietnam, and they were sent by the Army to escort me back to Waynesboro to attend the funeral and act as pall bearer. I was so angry, and grief stricken, I do not remember the 4-hour drive.

Sgt. William E. Hawkins was buried at Augusta Memorial Gardens with full military honors. The United States flag was given to his grandmother. I think Bill’s death hit my mother the hardest, she mourned for weeks. Bill was just 21 years old. His name is on the Vietnam Memorial, panel 10W, Line 103.

And so, for 53 years, I have tended to Bill’s grave, visiting 2-3 times a year and making sure flowers and an American flag mark the grave. I also make sure the bronze military plaques are very clean.

All my family and friends have been to the grave to hear my stories about Bill. I do not want Bill to be forgotten. Ever!