William Clay Matthews

The database page for William Clay Matthews

14 Apr 2006 PFC William Clay Matthews was my brother. He was a great brother, although I did not understand that at the time he left. I was only 14 and did not have a clue what he was off doing. I just knew that he was following our older brother in joining the Marines. He did not even have to go due to a bad knee he got playing high school football at Derby, Kansas. He went anyway to fight for his country. He was only there one month before he was killed. In November 2005 I visited the Wall in Washington D.C. I had no idea what emotion that would bring out. Just touching his name made me feel like I was close to him again. I had never had the need to know much about his time in the Marines before but since then I have. It's slow finding out anything. Rob W. Matthews superstar@sktc.net

A Note from The Virtual Wall Lima Company, 3/4 Marines, lost at least eight men during an assault on an NVA position in Quang Tri Province on 26 Feb 1969: Cpl Raymond Yazzie, Church Rock, NM Pfc Jerry R. Frazier, Des Moines, IA (Silver Star) Pfc Manuel Gonzales, San Marcos, TX Pfc Kenneth A. Lavine, East Hartford, CT Pfc William C. Matthews, Derby, KS Pfc Dennis K. Millison, Sharon, PA Pfc Glenn B. Rao, New Iberia, LA Pfc Rickey J. Whitehead, Kenosha, WI Although the 3/4 Command Chronology says there were "9 KIA and 8 WIA" from heavy automatic weapons and mortar fire, as well as command-detonated mines, there is not another known death among the forces involved in the assault (Bravo and Charlie 1/4; Mike 3/4; and Delta 1/3). The numbers may be inverted in the Chronology.

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With all respect
Jim Schueckler, former CW2, US Army
Ken Davis, Commander, United States Navy (Ret)
Last updated 08/10/2009