"You don't give a man a weapon until you have taught him to dance" – Celtic Proverb
William Charles (Bill) Heard was born on the 31st of August 1923 in Princeton, Indiana. Son of John Calvin Heard and May Bell Keesee. He was the youngest of four children, preceded by Mildred, Dorothy, and John Calvin Jr. Although born in Indiana, he grew up in Tampa, Florida.
He enlisted in the US Marines as a bomb disposal technician in October 1942 and served until April 1946. He attended the University of Florida, School of Business, but did not complete his undergraduate studies and opted instead to join the US ARMY.
He received a commission as a 2nd LT in the Army in 1948. He served in numerous units throughout his military career, serving in the Korean and Vietnam campaigns. Some of the units in which he served: 35th Inf, Reg.; Battery C, 45th Field Artillery Battalion; 8th Div., Artillery; Co. M, 351st Inf Reg; Co HHC, 3d Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment; 3d Co Training Support Battalion; HHC 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry as the Executive and Operations Officer.
During his service he received the Purple Heart (1st Oak Leaf Cluster), the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, Distinguished Unit Citation, Army Commendation Medal (1st OLC), Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device, and numerous other awards and citations.
In 1951 he married Fayma Louise Barratt (daughter of Lessie Inez Trueblood and Quinn Earl Henry, and adopted daughter of James H. Barratt) in his parent's home in Tampa. Together they raised 5 children.
A consumate soldier, he spent 25 years in support of government military actions. He retired during the Vietnam War and was very frustrated over the way the war was being fought by politicians rather than soldiers.
Thank you, Dad.
------------------------------------------------------------
He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.
And tho' sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer, for a soldier died today.
He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.
Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,
And the world won't note his passing, though a soldier died today.
When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.
Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land
A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?
A politician's stipend and the style in which he lives
Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives.
While the ordinary soldier, who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small.
It's so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,
That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know
It was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom that our Country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,
Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?
He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor while he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage at the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,
Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.
-A. Lawrence Vaincourt
William Charles (Bill) Heard was born on the 31st of August 1923 in Princeton, Indiana. Son of John Calvin Heard and May Bell Keesee. He was the youngest of four children, preceded by Mildred, Dorothy, and John Calvin Jr. Although born in Indiana, he grew up in Tampa, Florida.
He enlisted in the US Marines as a bomb disposal technician in October 1942 and served until April 1946. He attended the University of Florida, School of Business, but did not complete his undergraduate studies and opted instead to join the US ARMY.
He received a commission as a 2nd LT in the Army in 1948. He served in numerous units throughout his military career, serving in the Korean and Vietnam campaigns. Some of the units in which he served: 35th Inf, Reg.; Battery C, 45th Field Artillery Battalion; 8th Div., Artillery; Co. M, 351st Inf Reg; Co HHC, 3d Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment; 3d Co Training Support Battalion; HHC 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry as the Executive and Operations Officer.
During his service he received the Purple Heart (1st Oak Leaf Cluster), the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, Distinguished Unit Citation, Army Commendation Medal (1st OLC), Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device, and numerous other awards and citations.
In 1951 he married Fayma Louise Barratt (daughter of Lessie Inez Trueblood and Quinn Earl Henry, and adopted daughter of James H. Barratt) in his parent's home in Tampa. Together they raised 5 children.
A consumate soldier, he spent 25 years in support of government military actions. He retired during the Vietnam War and was very frustrated over the way the war was being fought by politicians rather than soldiers.
Thank you, Dad.
------------------------------------------------------------
He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.
And tho' sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer, for a soldier died today.
He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.
Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,
And the world won't note his passing, though a soldier died today.
When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.
Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land
A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?
A politician's stipend and the style in which he lives
Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives.
While the ordinary soldier, who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small.
It's so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,
That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know
It was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom that our Country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,
Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?
He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor while he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage at the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,
Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.
-A. Lawrence Vaincourt
"You don't give a man a weapon until you have taught him to dance" – Celtic Proverb
William Charles (Bill) Heard was born on the 31st of August 1923 in Princeton, Indiana. Son of John Calvin Heard and May Bell Keesee. He was the youngest of four children, preceded by Mildred, Dorothy, and John Calvin Jr. Although born in Indiana, he grew up in Tampa, Florida.
He enlisted in the US Marines as a bomb disposal technician in October 1942 and served until April 1946. He attended the University of Florida, School of Business, but did not complete his undergraduate studies and opted instead to join the US ARMY.
He received a commission as a 2nd LT in the Army in 1948. He served in numerous units throughout his military career, serving in the Korean and Vietnam campaigns. Some of the units in which he served: 35th Inf, Reg.; Battery C, 45th Field Artillery Battalion; 8th Div., Artillery; Co. M, 351st Inf Reg; Co HHC, 3d Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment; 3d Co Training Support Battalion; HHC 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry as the Executive and Operations Officer.
During his service he received the Purple Heart (1st Oak Leaf Cluster), the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, Distinguished Unit Citation, Army Commendation Medal (1st OLC), Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device, and numerous other awards and citations.
In 1951 he married Fayma Louise Barratt (daughter of Lessie Inez Trueblood and Quinn Earl Henry, and adopted daughter of James H. Barratt) in his parent's home in Tampa. Together they raised 5 children.
A consumate soldier, he spent 25 years in support of government military actions. He retired during the Vietnam War and was very frustrated over the way the war was being fought by politicians rather than soldiers.
Thank you, Dad.
------------------------------------------------------------
He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.
And tho' sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer, for a soldier died today.
He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.
Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,
And the world won't note his passing, though a soldier died today.
When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.
Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land
A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?
A politician's stipend and the style in which he lives
Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives.
While the ordinary soldier, who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small.
It's so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,
That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know
It was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom that our Country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,
Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?
He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor while he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage at the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,
Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.
-A. Lawrence Vaincourt
William Charles (Bill) Heard was born on the 31st of August 1923 in Princeton, Indiana. Son of John Calvin Heard and May Bell Keesee. He was the youngest of four children, preceded by Mildred, Dorothy, and John Calvin Jr. Although born in Indiana, he grew up in Tampa, Florida.
He enlisted in the US Marines as a bomb disposal technician in October 1942 and served until April 1946. He attended the University of Florida, School of Business, but did not complete his undergraduate studies and opted instead to join the US ARMY.
He received a commission as a 2nd LT in the Army in 1948. He served in numerous units throughout his military career, serving in the Korean and Vietnam campaigns. Some of the units in which he served: 35th Inf, Reg.; Battery C, 45th Field Artillery Battalion; 8th Div., Artillery; Co. M, 351st Inf Reg; Co HHC, 3d Battalion, 6th Infantry Regiment; 3d Co Training Support Battalion; HHC 1st Brigade, 25th Infantry as the Executive and Operations Officer.
During his service he received the Purple Heart (1st Oak Leaf Cluster), the Silver Star, the Bronze Star, Distinguished Unit Citation, Army Commendation Medal (1st OLC), Vietnam Campaign Medal with Device, and numerous other awards and citations.
In 1951 he married Fayma Louise Barratt (daughter of Lessie Inez Trueblood and Quinn Earl Henry, and adopted daughter of James H. Barratt) in his parent's home in Tampa. Together they raised 5 children.
A consumate soldier, he spent 25 years in support of government military actions. He retired during the Vietnam War and was very frustrated over the way the war was being fought by politicians rather than soldiers.
Thank you, Dad.
------------------------------------------------------------
He was getting old and paunchy and his hair was falling fast,
And he sat around the Legion, telling stories of the past.
Of a war that he had fought in and the deeds that he had done,
In his exploits with his buddies; they were heroes, every one.
And tho' sometimes, to his neighbors, his tales became a joke,
All his Legion buddies listened, for they knew whereof he spoke.
But we'll hear his tales no longer for old Bill has passed away,
And the world's a little poorer, for a soldier died today.
He will not be mourned by many, just his children and his wife,
For he lived an ordinary and quite uneventful life.
Held a job and raised a family, quietly going his own way,
And the world won't note his passing, though a soldier died today.
When politicians leave this earth, their bodies lie in state,
While thousands note their passing and proclaim that they were great.
Papers tell their whole life stories, from the time that they were young,
But the passing of a soldier goes unnoticed and unsung.
Is the greatest contribution to the welfare of our land
A guy who breaks his promises and cons his fellow man?
Or the ordinary fellow who, in times of war and strife,
Goes off to serve his Country and offers up his life?
A politician's stipend and the style in which he lives
Are sometimes disproportionate to the service that he gives.
While the ordinary soldier, who offered up his all,
Is paid off with a medal and perhaps, a pension small.
It's so easy to forget them for it was so long ago,
That the old Bills of our Country went to battle, but we know
It was not the politicians, with their compromise and ploys,
Who won for us the freedom that our Country now enjoys.
Should you find yourself in danger, with your enemies at hand,
Would you want a politician with his ever-shifting stand?
Or would you prefer a soldier, who has sworn to defend
His home, his kin and Country and would fight until the end?
He was just a common soldier and his ranks are growing thin,
But his presence should remind us we may need his like again.
For when countries are in conflict, then we find the soldier's part
Is to clean up all the troubles that the politicians start.
If we cannot do him honor while he's here to hear the praise,
Then at least let's give him homage at the ending of his days.
Perhaps just a simple headline in a paper that would say,
Our Country is in mourning, for a soldier died today.
-A. Lawrence Vaincourt
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