Charles Ray Henley
Specialist Four, U.S. Army

Charles Ray Henley was born on 29 November 1947.

On 15 July 1968, Specialist Four Charles Ray Henley was serving with D Company, 14th Engineer Battalion, 45th Engineer Group, 18th Engineer Brigade, U.S. Army Vietnam Engineer Command, in Thua Thien Province, South Vietnam.

On that day, SP4 Henley was killed in action when he sustained wounds from an explosive device. His body was recovered.

Obituary

The following newspaper obituary was provided by a friend of Charles who served with him in Vietnam:

"He was scheduled to come home this month, but Army Spec/4 Charles R.. Henley was killed in Vietnam, at 10:40 a.m. on July 15 by shrapnel and a land mine or booby trap while on duty with a land-clearing team. He was not yet 21. He would have been on November 29."

"His mother and step-father are Mr and Mrs. Stewart Lindset, 1408 Caprice, Union Lake. His father is William Henley. There is one brother, William Henley Jr., 24, married and the father of a three-year-old daughter, who lives in Union Lake also."

"Charles attended Dublin, Charles H. Smart and Walled Lake Senior High Schools, and worked at Pontiac Motors. He enlisted in the Army on October 20, 1966, and arrived in Vietnam on September 20, 1967. His basic training was at Fort Knox, KY, and his AIT in engineering at Fort Belvoir, VA. He was assigned to Company D, 14th Engineer Battalion, 18th Engineer Brigade."

"News reports are supposed to be free of editorial comment, but does anyone object if this reporter says, 'Truly he died serving his fellows and his country!'"

"Elton Black Funeral Home in Union Lake is handling the funeral arrangements."

Medals and Awards

Bronze Star Medal
Purple Heart
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal

Honors

The name Charles Ray Henley is located on Panel 52W Line 35 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

Burial

Specialist Four Charles Ray Henley is buried at Oakland Mills Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Novi, MI.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/99534600/charles-ray-henley