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Casualty Info
Home Town St Albans, NY
Last Address St Albans, NY
Casualty Date Aug 14, 1966
Cause KIA-Died of Wounds
Reason Gun, Small Arms Fire
Location Vietnam, South (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Jones Cemetery - Clarkton, North Carolina
Wall/Plot Coordinates 10E 003
Official Badges
Unofficial Badges
Additional Information
Last Known Activity:
Casualty Occurrence: This Soldier was killed by Hostile Small Arms fire during a Combat Operation. No other details available.
PFC William McKinley Baldwin, Vietnam Veteran, native of Clarkton, North Carolina. He joined the United States Army in St Albans, New York. PFC William McKinley Baldwin was a casualty of the Vietnam War. As a member of the Army, PFC Baldwin served our country until August 14th, 1966 in South Vietnam. He was 20 years old and wasn't married. It was reported that he was killed by small arms fire. His body was recovered. He was born in Clarkton, North Carolina, on September 27th, 1945. PFC Baldwin is on panel 10E, line 003 of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington D.C. He served our country 7 days short of 2 years. PFC Baldwin is the Son of Mr Robert Baldwin, Route 4, Box 135A, Nichols, South Carolina & Mrs Geneva Shaw of St Albans, New York. PFC Baldwin served as a Infantryman with Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 45th Infantry, 1st Infantry Division, USARV. He was awarded The Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service, The Purple Heart Medal for his combat wounds, The National Defense Service Medal, The Vietnam Service Medal, The Vietnam Campaign Medal and The Vietnamese Gallantry Cross Unit Citation.
Maureen Verdura, A Pen Pal Remembers You, Sir. William Baldwin's Captain was my minister's son-in-law. I was in college at the time, and requested a list of names for me and my friends to write letters of encouragement to soldiers. William Baldwin's name was on the list, and we exchanged probably 10-15 letters over several months' time. One day, one of the letters I had written him arrived back in my college mailbox. It was stamped with large, colored letters and several different phrases that indicated he had been killed in action. Over the next month, 3 or 4 more of my letters were returned, and then one day, I rec'd a note from William, sent shortly before he died. It had a wonderful photo of Bill in it I hadn't seen him before, and it was very sad looking into those warm eyes, knowing he had given his all in service to America. I have often wished I had contact information for his family. I wanted to thank THEM, too, for raising such a fine young man. We visited the Wall a couple of decades ago, and I etched his name to keep. It was a very sad, but significant, moment for me. I have his letters and will keep them, eventually giving them to an American Legion post. My own father was in his 50s when I was born he was born in 1895 and was a wounded vet of WW ONE The Argonne Forest, so I have a patriotic connection to these precious soldiers who have given their all. I thank you, William Baldwin, for your supreme sacrifice. I hope to meet you again in Heaven someday, where we will finish our conversation...Rest in Peace, young soldier.
Comments/Citation:
POSTED ON 4.24.2003, POSTED BY: RICK BALDWIN FROM NEPHEW TO UNCLE. To an uncle that I know only through pictures, I am truly sorry your young life was taken from you. Know that your family will never forget you as long as we shall live. I also sorry that you never got to see your only daughter, Sernita.
POSTED ON 11.3.2016, POSTED BY: LUCY CONTE MICIK. REMEMBERED, DEAR SPEC 4 BALDWIN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE AS A GRUNT. I VISITED ST. ALBANS NAVAL HOSPITAL AS A TEEN. TODAY IS MY BIRTHDAY, AND I FEEL IT IS IMPORTANT TO HONOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DIED IN SERVICE TO THIS NATION. AND VETERANS' DAY IS APPROACHING, MAY THE SAINTS AND ANGELS GUIDE YOU. REST IN PEACE.
Description This campaign was from 25 December 1965 to 30 June 1966. United States operations after 1 July 1966 were a continuation of the earlier counteroffensive campaign. Recognizing the interdependence of political, economic, sociological, and military factors, the Joint Chiefs of Staff declared that American military objectives should be to cause North Vietnam to cease its control and support of the insurgency in South Vietnam and Laos, to assist South Vietnam in defeating Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces in South Vietnam, and to assist South Vietnam in pacification extending governmental control over its territory.
North Vietnam continued to build its own forces inside South Vietnam. At first this was done by continued infiltration by sea and along the Ho Chi Minh trail and then, in early 1966, through the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). U.S. air elements received permission to conduct reconnaissance bombing raids, and tactical air strikes into North Vietnam just north of the DMZ, but ground forces were denied authority to conduct reconnaissance patrols in the northern portion of the DMZ and inside North Vietnam. Confined to South Vietnamese territory U.S. ground forces fought a war of attrition against the enemy, relying for a time on body counts as one standard indicator for measuring successful progress for winning the war.
During 1966 there were eighteen major operations, the most successful of these being Operation WHITE WING (MASHER). During this operation, the 1st Cavalry Division, Korean units, and ARVN forces cleared the northern half of Binh Dinh Province on the central coast. In the process they decimated a division, later designated the North Vietnamese 3d Division. The U.S. 3d Marine Division was moved into the area of the two northern provinces and in concert with South Vietnamese Army and other Marine Corps units, conducted Operation HASTINGS against enemy infiltrators across the DMZ.
The largest sweep of 1966 took place northwest of Saigon in Operation ATTLEBORO, involving 22,000 American and South Vietnamese troops pitted against the VC 9th Division and a NVA regiment. The Allies defeated the enemy and, in what became a frequent occurrence, forced him back to his havens in Cambodia or Laos.
By 31 December 1966, U.S. military personnel in South Vietnam numbered 385,300. Enemy forces also increased substantially, so that for the same period, total enemy strength was in excess of 282,000 in addition to an estimated 80,000 political cadres. By 30 June 1967, total U.S. forces in SVN had risen to 448,800, but enemy strength had increased as well.
On 8 January U.S. and South Vietnamese troops launched separate drives against two major VC strongholds in South Vietnam-in the so-called "Iron Triangle" about 25 miles northwest of Saigon. For years this area had been under development as a VC logistics base and headquarters to control enemy activity in and around Saigon. The Allies captured huge caches of rice and other foodstuffs, destroyed a mammoth system of tunnels, and seized documents of considerable intelligence value.
In February, the same U.S. forces that had cleared the "Iron Triangle", were committed with other units in the largest allied operation of the war to date, JUNCTION CITY. Over 22 U.S. and four ARVN battalions engaged the enemy, killing 2,728. After clearing this area, the Allies constructed three airfields; erected a bridge and fortified two camps in which CIDG garrisons remained as the other allied forces withdrew.