William Daniel Blakely
Private First Class, U.S. Army

William Daniel Blakely is the son of William Wilson and Mary Alberta Walker Blakely.

On 14 February 1968, Private First Class William Daniel Blakely was serving with Company D, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry, 2nd Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), in South Vietnam.

On that day, Company D was conducting a search and clear operation in the Hai Lang Area of Quang Tri Province and PFC Blakely was the point man for his platoon as it swept through a village. As he discovered a line of bunkers manned by North Vietnamese Army Regulars, the platoon was hit with hostile automatic weapons fire and command-detonated mines. Although wounded in the initial barrage, PFC Blakely began hurling hand grenades onto the enemy positions, killing two NVA soldiers. He then sought cover behind a haystack to his platoon's front, and from there he saw his squad leader lying wounded and unconscious 15 meters from the enemy bunkers. PFC Blakely crawled forward under intense fire, rescued the man, and brought him back to the shelter of the haystack. Ignoring his own injuries, PFC Blakely re-engaged the enemy with rifle fire and hand grenades. As he started to throw a grenade, he was seriously wounded by an exploding enemy rocket round. He clutched the activated grenade and fell forward on it, saving the lives of his squad leader and a medic, and preventing injuries to other nearby squad members. PFC Blakely's extraordinary heroism, at the cost of his life, earned him the U.S. Army's second highest award for valor, the Distinguished Service Cross.

Medals, Awards and Badges

Distinguished Service Cross
Bronze Star Medal (Merit)
Purple Heart
Army Good Conduct Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Combat Infantryman Badge

Distinguished Service Cross Citation

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress, July 9, 1918 (amended by act of July 25, 1963), takes pride in presenting the Distinguished Service Cross (Posthumously) to Private First Class William Blakely (ASN: RA-18913868), United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company D, 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry, 2d Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile). Private First Class Blakely distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 14 February 1968 during a search and clear operation in the Hai Lang Area of Quang Tri Province. He was acting as point man for his platoon as it swept through a village. He discovered a line of bunkers manned by North Vietnamese Army Regulars, and the platoon was immediately hit with hostile automatic weapons fire and command detonated mines. Although wounded by the initial barrage, Private Blakely began hurling hand grenades onto the enemy positions, killing two North Vietnamese soldiers. He then sought cover behind a haystack to his platoon's front, and from there he saw his squad leader lying wounded and unconscious fifteen meters from the enemy bunkers. With complete disregard for his safety, Private Blakely crawled forward under intense fire to rescue the man and brought him back to the shelter of the haystack. Ignoring the pain of his injuries, he then continued to engage the enemy with rifle fire and hand grenades. While in an act of throwing a grenade, he was seriously wounded by an exploding enemy rocket round. He clutched the activated grenade and fell forward on it, saving the lives of his squad leader and a medic, and preventing injuries to other members of his squad who were close by. Private First Class Blakely's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

General Orders: Headquarters, U.S. Army, Vietnam, General Orders No. 4316 (November 11, 1968)

Honors

The name William Blakely is located on Panel 39E Line 29 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall.

Burial

Private First Class William Daniel Blakely is buried at the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno, San Mateo County, CA, in Plot: S, 0, 998.

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