“I am a Soldier.” These words described what 1LT William F. Ericson II aspired to be from his youth and what he became. Born in 1944, his parents named him after his father’s brother, a USMC fighter pilot killed in Oct, 1943. The first house he remembered was on post at Fort Totten, NY. Following his father’s discharge from WWII active duty, he grew up on Staten Island, NY, Long Island and in Roxbury, CT. Avid fisherman and skilled rifleman. In the spring of his high school senior year, while considering what college he would attend the following fall, the 3-sport letterman announced to his parents he intended to defer his college education and, instead, enlist in the Army Airborne to explore a military career from the ground up. Basic training and Advanced Infantry Training, Fort Dix, NJ, summer and fall, 1961. Basic Airborne Course, Fort Bragg, NC, 8 December 1961 (final Airborne Course conducted at Ft Bragg). Paratrooper, 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division, December, 1961 – July, 1963. Cadet Candidate, United States Military Academy Preparatory School, Fort Belvoir, VA, August 1963 – May 1964. Regular Army appointment. Cadet, United States Military Academy, West Point, NY, July, 1964 – June 1968. Regular lettered Company – H-4. Chairman, USMA Class of 1968 Ring and Crest Committee. Editor, Class of 1968 MUSTER. Co-founder and Vice President of Cadet Military Affairs Club. Jungle Expert, School of the Americas, Fort Gulick, Canal Zone. “King of Beasts,” 1967 Beast Barracks/New Cadet Barracks. Regimental Commander, 4th Regiment, USCC. Designed 4th Regiment Patch. Originated 4th Regiment Motto: “Strict, Tough, Military, Proud.” Editor-in-Chief, 1968 HOWITZER. Fought in Cadet Open Boxing Championship all four years and won twice. Recipient, The Leadership Foundation Award (June Week, 1968). Recipient, The Howitzer Memorial Award (June Week, 1968). Recipient, The Colonel David Marcus Memorial Award given to the outstanding boxer in the USMA Class of 1968 (June Week, 1968). General Order of Merit (GOM): 382nd of 706 graduating cadets. Cullum # 27625. Infantry Basic Branch. Infantry Officer Basic Course, Fort Benning, GA, 1968. Ranger School, 1968. Jumpmaster School, Fort Bragg, 1969. Pathfinder Course, Fort Benning, 17 April 1969. Pathfinder officer, 82nd Airborne Division. Deployed for overseas service in Southeast Asia, 15 May 1969. Assigned as 1st Platoon Leader, Company “A,” 1st Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry, 173rd Airborne Brigade (Separate) in the Republic of Vietnam. Killed in Action, 15 July 1969, Binh Dinh Province, RVN. Age 25. Awards/Service Medals: (1) Combat Infantryman Badge; (2) Ranger Tab; (3) Senior Parachutist Badge; (4) Pathfinder Badge; (5) Silver Star; (6) Bronze Star Medal; (7) Air Medal; (8) Purple Heart; (9) Army Good Conduct Medal; (10) National Defense Service Medal; (11) Vietnam Service Medal; (12) New York State Conspicuous Service Cross (13) Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal (14) Republic of Vietnam, National Order of Vietnam, Fifth Class; (15) Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm. Following a Funeral Mass at Most Holy Trinity Catholic Chapel (where he was married 13 months earlier) officiated by Fr. Edward O’Brien, buried with full military honors at the USMA Cemetery, West Point, NY; Section XXXIV, Site 28. Cordon of honor from Catholic Chapel to West Point Cemetery provided by 4th Regiment Cadets on 1969 Beast Detail. Remembered at the Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial located on The Mall in Washington, D.C.; Panel 21 West, Line 124. West Point Class ring on display representing USMA 1968 in Jefferson Hall Library, U.S. Military Academy, West Point, NY.