William Raymond Adams
Corporal
C CO, 1ST BN, 8TH CAVALRY, 1ST CAV DIV, USARV
Army of the United States
Ramsey, Illinois
January 19, 1948 to October 10, 1969
WILLIAM R ADAMS is on the Wall at Panel W17, Line 60

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William R Adams
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25 Apr 2004

I went to school with Bill. He loved life and singing. He loved to impersonate Elvis - and did the job very well. He will always be missed by his friends and family.

On a trip to DC, I stopped by the Wall
To visit some old friends I hadnï¿ 1/2 t seen for a while
There was Bill, Neil, Preach, and of course Bob.

As I stood looking at their names inscribed in the Wall,
First I noticed the reflection of my face -
Then I noticed their -
Faces in the Wall

Each name had a face in the wall -
All fifty eight thousand and more.
And each face has a story to tell -
about the Faces in the Wall.

As I watched people come and go -
Family, friends, and fellow vets -
each had their moments
With the faces in the Wall.

Some came to cry, some came to say goodbye,
Some came to ask "Why?"
A young man said "But Dad I didnï¿ 1/2 t get to know you!"
A veteran with one leg missing said "Thank you man - you
Saved my life. I owe you one!"

They left flowers, a baseball, pictures, poems,
medals, a flag and more.
All to the faces in the Wall.

If you have a chance to go to DC, and have a
couple of hours to spend - Read the names
and say hello to my friends and the other -
Faces in the Wall.

Ray Wayne
© 1999


 

A Note from The Virtual Wall

On 22 Oct 1969 C Company, 227th Assault Helicopter Battalion, was tasked with extracting troops of C Company, 1st Bn, 8th Cavalry, from a pick-up zone in Phuoc Long Province to Fire Support Base Debbie near Loc Ninh. The pick-up zone was small, able to accommodate only one UH-1 at a time.

UH-1H tail number 67-19524 was on its third trip to the PZ. After loading five troops, the Huey lifted to a hover and rotated right for a westward departure. While lifting out at an altitude of about 75 feet, the aircraft's main rotor struck a tree on the aircraft's right side. The aircraft fell to the ground in a nose-down, rolling-right attitude, bursting into flame on ground impact. Two of the nine men aboard survived with injuries (pilot CWO2 R. H. Varney and trooper PFC F. B. Sowa), but the other seven died:

  • C Co, 227th AHB, 11th Avn Group
    • WO Thomas F. Brown, copilot, Morningside, MD
    • CPL Robert L. Lazarus, crew chief, Honolulu, HI
    • SP4 Shelby M. Long, gunner, Chillicothe, OH

  • C Co, 1st Bn, 8th Cav Rgt
    • SGT William R. Godfrey, Tuckahoe, NJ
    • CPL William R. Adams, Ramsey, IL
    • SP4 Larry G. Prewitt, Stroud, OK
    • SP4 Jose C. Salinas, Crystal City, TX

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