William B Kimball, Jr

The database page for William B Kimball, Jr

22 Jul 2007 I did not know you nor know of you until I saw your name on a street sign designated in your honor. You are not forgotten, rest in peace. From a friend and USAF Vet 1961/1967, Frank Biscay Iselin, New Jersey bisc928@aol.com

12 Sep 2007 William Kimball was my Uncle. Although I never got to meet him, he is a hero to me as well as all the other men who fought for our country. If anyone knew or fought with my uncle, please write on here. I would love to hear more about him from people who knew and fought with him. I know he died after leading troops out of the jungle and then going back in to save more where he was ambushed by Viets. From a nephew, Dan Unkel hawkswr86@aol.com

A Note from The Virtual Wall In May of 1968, the North Vietnamese launched what has been called their "Tet II" offensive, striking 119 provincial and district capitals, military installations, and major cities including Saigon. Unlike Tet I, which was primarily a Viet Cong uprising, Tet II was almost entirely an NVA affair. The battle of Dai Do actually began on April 30 with the ambush of a US Navy utility boat at the junction of the Bo Dieu and Cua Viet rivers by elements of the 320th NVA Division. Since Battalion Landing Team 2/4 was in the area, it was ordered to eliminate the threat to the crucial waterway. Faced by three Regiments of the 320th NVA Division, BLT 2/4 was forced to fall back to defensive positions north of the river, but they stopped the enemy attack. NVA reinforcements were turned back by men of the Army's 3rd Bn, 21st Infantry, Americal Division, which occupied blocking positions at Nhi Ha to the northeast. The NVA attempt to open an invasion corridor into South Vietnam had failed. The "Magnificent Bastards" of 2/4 Marines and the 3/21st Infantry had saved the day, for if they had failed the NVA would have been free to overrun the major supply bases at Dong Ha and Quang Tri and the entire DMZ defenses would have been undermined. However, the cost had been high. The Marines and sailors suffered 89 dead and another 297 seriously wounded, while Army forces at Nhi Ha sustained 28 deaths and 130 wounded. But the enemy suffered even greater losses - not only did the NVA fail to achieve their objective, they also left 1,568 bodies on the battlefield. Alpha Company, 3/21st Infantry, lost twelve men in the fighting on 06 May 1968: 2LT William B. Kimball, Parlin, NJ SFC George L. Dale, Gorham, NH SSG Thomas F. Crews, Marion, AL SGT Terrance W. Allen, Bay City, MI SGT David L. Betebenner, Alba, MO SGT Sydney W. Klemmer, Owatonna, MN SP4 Terry H. Alderson, Fort Worth, TX (Bronze Star "V") SP4 Curtis E. Bandy, Denver, CO SP4 Allan G. Barnes, Greer, SC SP4 John A. Johnson, Chicago, IL SP4 Allen A. Straus, Omaha, NE SP4 Richard F. Turpin, Roseville, MI In addition to the 12 dead, one man was missing in action - SP4 William A. Baird of Wooster, Ohio. He had been captured by the North Vietnamese and was repatriated on 05 March 1973.

The point-of-contact for this memorial is a friend and USAF Vet 1961/1967, Frank Biscay Iselin, New Jersey bisc928@aol.com

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With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Memorial first published on 22 Jul 2007
Last updated 05/09/2008