William Leroy Brown - left South Philadelphia, High Shool and enlisted in the Army, in May, 1967. The Private First Class, an artillery cannoneer, arrived, in Vietnam, in June, 1968 and was assigned to Battery A, of the 3rd Battalion, 319th Artillery Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade. He died on December 29, 1968, at the age of 19. Survivors included his parents, three brothers and two sisters. William lived on Emily Street in South Philadelphia. Source: Philadelphia Daily News On 29 December 1968, 3 individuals were returning in a 1/4 ton (Jeep) to Qui Nhon - SSG Glen E Rountree, PFC Netter, and PFC William Leroy Brown - on Highway #1, south of FSB Ollie, when they were ambushed by an unknown size enemy force. PFC Brown was killed and SSG Rountree was seriously wounded with the first volley of fire received from enemy automatic weapons and small arms positioned on both sides of the road. PFC Nutter could not get the vehicle restarted and SSG Rountree refused help and sent Nutter for help to a nearby South Vietnamese outpost while Rountree stayed behind and engaged the enemy. SSG Rountree, although wounded in pelvis and legs, and while trying to contact A Battery, 3rd Battalion, 319th Artillery for help, emptied the jeep's M-60 machine gun and his M-16 Rifle on the enemy. He continued to fight until a rescue force arrived and SSG Rountree was evacuated and PFC Brown was recovered.

According to the Philadelphia Examiner, in a December 29, 2010 "On this Day In History" article, nearly 700 Philadelphians lost their lives in the Vietnam War. Among those lost to the Vietnam War from Philadelphia, were 54 alumni of Thomas Edison School; the largest number of Vietnam War Casualties of any high school in the nation. There were 27 alumni of Father Judge High School, and 27 alumni from Cardinal Dougherty High School. There were two men from Philadelphia killed in action on the same day, December 29, 1968 during the Vietnam War. Although the two men were from different type units, they both were assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade: PFC William Leroy Brown Born on September 6, 1949 Army - Battery C, 3rd Battalion, 319th Artillery Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Killed on December 29, 1968, in Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam Listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall at Panel 35W, Line 2 - The Virtual Wall CPL James Joseph Morrissey Born on March 14, 1948 Army - Company B, 1st Battalion, 50th Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade Killed on December 29, 1968 in Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam Listed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall at Panel 35W, Line 5 - Visit CPL Morrissey's Page

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