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This Person is Your...

This Person is Your...

This Military Service Page was created/owned by MAJ Mark E Cooper to remember Smith, Billy Morrison, SP 5.

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Home Town Not Specified	Last Address Commerce, TEXAS

Casualty Date Oct 07, 1995
Cause Hostile, Died of Wounds	Reason Gun, Small Arms Fire
Location Texas	Conflict Not Specified
Location of Interment Laurel Land Memorial Park - Dallas, Texas	Wall/Plot Coordinates Panel 1East, Line 44

WIA 8 Nov 1963 Ban Don,Gia Dinh Province,South Vietnam
DOW 7 Oct 1995 Texas U.S.A.
name added to Vietnam Veterans Memorial May 2001

Billy graduated from Sunset High School at the age of sixteen. Too young to work he enrolled at Arlington State College (now UTA). There he met Captain Willard Latham (later Post Commander at FT. Benning) who influenced him greatly. Upon reaching eighteen he immediately enlisted in the army as a medic. Eventually he made his way to jump school and Special Forces as a 91B3S special forces medic. He was assigned to the 1st Group on Okinawa. His first deployment was TDY on an A team to Thailand. He was then sent TDY to Vietnam on ODA-232. Here he earned the respect of his team-mates and was highly thought of for his skill. On 6 November 1963 while on patrol and assignment to destroy VC rice fields contact was made with the enemy. While chasing VC suspects he and his weapons sergeant ran upon a VC encampment. The VC were prepared and opened fire. His weapons sergeant only fired a few rounds in return when he was instantly killed by a head wound. Billy made it into his second thirty round magazine before he likewise suffered a severe head wound. Upon regaining consciousness, Billy crawled to and attempted to bandage the wound of his teammate and himself. He then took a grenade and pulled the pin and clasped it in his hand in case the VC attempted to capture them or take their weapons and ammunition. He was found unconscious with his head resting on his team-mates leg. Billy barely survived his evacuation (his death certificate was shipped with him needing only a signature and time) having meningitis and pneumonia. When stabilized at Ft. Sam the doctor said he would never be in better shape and would slowly deteriorate. Attached in Photos is the after action report of the patrol.

WASHINGTON, D.C., May 2, 2001 - The names of six American service members will be added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Thursday, May, 3, 2001 at 10 a.m., increasing the number of names on the black granite Wall to 58,226, announced Jan C. Scruggs, president and founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. Texan Michael Smith will be present to witness the adding of his brother's name, the late Army Specialist Fifth Class Billy M. Smith, to the Memorial. SP5 Smith, of Commerce, Texas, was seriously wounded in the head on November 8, 1963, alongside Army Specialist First Class William J. Everhart, who died instantly. Smith was presumed dead, but he was later evacuated and lived for more than 30 years. He ultimately died in October 1995, after which time, the Department of Defense determined that his death was directly attributable to the wounds received in Vietnam. His name will be added to Panel 1East, Line 44 -10 rows below that of his comrade SFC Everhart.