Billie Joe Wilson
Staff Sergeant
L CO, 3RD BN, 5TH MARINES, 1ST MARDIV, III MAF
United States Marine Corps
Valley Center, Kansas
January 21, 1929 to February 09, 1970
(Incident Date January 05, 1970)
BILLIE J WILSON is on the Wall at Panel W14, Line 118

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Combat Action Ribbon
 

 

A Note from The Virtual Wall

The Lima 3/5 web site Purple Heart list carries the following notation:
"B. J. Wilson 13 September 1969 5 January 1970"
indicating two separate awards of the Purple Heart. The notation does not show Wilson's rank or paygrade, but it is the right man: Staff Sergeant Wilson arrived in Vietnam on 19 April 1969 and died on 09 Feb 1970 of wounds received in combat on 05 Jan 1970.

However, his gravestone demonstrates that Staff Sergeant Wilson was the recipient of a third Purple Heart. It is uncertain when he received that award, but given his age and length of service (41 years, 12 to 13 years service) it seems likely that he had "broken service". If so, he probably served during the Korean War and received his first Purple Heart during that service.


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