William ‘Bill Ward: Unrelenting loyalty, initiative, and perseverance

By Lauren Jones, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interview Volunteer

“Awesome” is how Bill Ward describes his experience on July 12, 2023, when he traveled from Chicago to Washington, D.C., as a respected guest of the Honor Flight Chicago program. 

Bill was recognized for serving in the Army from September 1966 to August 1968, during which he spent a year fighting in the Vietnam War. Bill served in Company B, 2D Battalion (Mechanized), 2D Infantry, First Infantry Division (the “Big Red One”). 

He describes his day with Honor Flight Chicago as “just so emotional and a great thing. Just the way you were treated,” he said with a smile. “There wasn’t a bad moment. The weather was beautiful, probably in the low to mid-80’s. They had coolers on the buses, snacks, and lunches. They thought of everything.” 

Bill hadn’t been to Washington, D.C., since a family trip more than 20 years ago, so he was able to see newer memorials and revisit the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. “I was very fortunate with the guide they assigned me; she was excellent. She was with me all day, and whenever I had a question, she had the answer for me.” 

One thing he really enjoyed about Honor Flight Chicago was speaking with the other Vets. Bill is one of 11 children – “number 6, right in the middle!” – raised on the Southside of Chicago. He was in the first graduating class of St. Laurence High School in 1965, where he proudly played baseball. His strong Chicago roots gave him an instant connection to some of the other Vets and they talked about where they grew up and life in general. “Everybody talked to everybody,” he explained. When the group was having its picture taken in the National Mall, another Vet asked Bill his name and said he looked familiar. Turns out, Bill put a roof on his house in the 1980s. “It was amazing. You never know where you’re going to run into people.”

Bill also really enjoyed the “high-class treatment” in D.C., describing, “The biggest thing! We got on the buses, and there were cops all over the place who stopped the traffic on the freeway. To go from Dulles to the Air Force Memorial is probably a 30-minute ride, so it’s not like you were going two blocks but anytime you would pass an exit, there was a cop car blocking the traffic. It was amazing. It was really amazing.” When asked if he would recommend Honor Flight Chicago to a Veteran considering participating, he said, “Oh, in a minute.” He’s currently encouraging others to submit their paperwork to get started. 

Bill was drafted in September of 1966 and went through basic training at Fort Polk, LA. He was sent to North Fort Polk, also known as Tigerland, a training camp established in humid and muggy Louisiana conditions to closely mimic South Vietnam’s environment. 

“Everything there was set up like Vietnam, so you got accustomed to how things would be. Like having grass huts that you went through. I had to miss certain parts of training because I had a military driver’s license and was the only one in the company that did. So, I used to have to drive the captain around and drive a deuce and a half out to the field to bring out water and everything else.

“The captain I had was back from Vietnam and was in armor. He had special orders written for me to go to Fort Knox, KY, for a three-week class to learn how to drive an APC. He looked out for me because I had missed so much. I didn’t think it mattered because I was going to Vietnam and they put you wherever they wanted. But I was sent to a mechanized unit that had just been hit. They had lost a couple of vehicles and drivers out in the field. So, there was a new APC and they immediately made me the driver.

“I felt prepared and knew how to handle the machine, although I didn’t know where I was going!” he laughs. “I’d see other soldiers that didn’t get the training that I had. They thought they would be a clerk, but they’d end up walking the field with a rifle. So even though I missed some of the training at Tigerland, it was still more than worthwhile.”

In a sad twist, Bill’s name ended up on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial because of a different William Ward who served around the same time. Two military police officers mistakenly went to Bill’s house during the war and told his family he had been killed. 

Bill realized something was wrong when he stopped receiving letters from home. “So, I quit writing,” he said jokingly. This continued for about two weeks until he decided to write to his mom. His father had already been looking into the matter because they had no details of what had happened. Thankfully, Bill’s family found out the truth within a few weeks. They decided not to tell him about the mishap until he was out of the service. 

When he went to D.C. 20 years ago on a family trip, they found William Ward’s name and Roy Anderson, a soldier Bill was close with during his time in Vietnam. He was on top of the APC Bill was driving when he was shot and killed. But Bill didn’t want to see the names again during this most recent visit. “It was one of the more difficult things, I guess you could say. I couldn’t look this time or bring myself to see it again. I saw it once and left it at that. Too many names to remember.”

Bill earned a Bronze Star Medal for displaying true heroism on Thanksgiving Day, 1968. He remembers peacefully sitting with the guys in his unit, eating a turkey dinner. They didn’t carry their weapons to the chow line that day because it was a holiday. That turned out to be a mistake.

Bill said all hell broke loose when “We started getting heavily attacked by rapid gunfire, 81mm mortars, and RPGs. There were explosions all around and chaos everywhere we turned. As we engaged in battle, we had wounded men all over, so I did what I had to do.

“I made several trips to the chopper carrying wounded soldiers to be dusted off or flown to the hospital. After my last trip, I returned to our camp’s perimeter to find out my bunker was out of M60 ammunition. Instantly, I ran to the tracks to retrieve as much ammo as I could carry. When that ran out, I did it over and over again. Back and forth I went in the middle of an unimaginable attack. I think about how the Good Lord was with me this day because I was never hit—not even wounded.”

The following day, they learned that Viet Cong soldiers had gotten through two or three rows of concertina wire in the defensive lines and somehow survived. Based on the damage done to the camp and the number of men severely wounded and lost, those who survived felt fortunate and blessed beyond measure.

Captain George Gratzer recommended Bill for the Bronze Star with “V” Service (Valor), which was later awarded. “It is a true honor,” Bill continues. “I was just doing my job.”

Bill fondly recalls Captain Gratzer, nicknamed Sonny, who planned to have a lifelong career in the military until he was shot and paralyzed in Vietnam. “When I drove a track for the platoon, Sonny came in to command the company. He was a bit like George Patton (you know where I’m going). After about a week of being there, he told my Sergeant that I would be his driver. And I said, ‘I’m not driving for that guy! He’s an idiot who will get me killed.’ But he grabbed me by the ear (more or less) and said, ‘You’re coming.’ So, I ended up being his driver and was very happy. He was a good captain who knew his stuff.”

One day when driving in the jungle, the M48 tank in front of their APC hit a mine, and the driver was hurt. Sonny got on the radio to secure the field and bring in a chopper. He was standing behind Bill, who was lower in the turret. When they both stood up, Sonny was shot twice in the back.

Bill gave Sonny his rosary to hold while they treated him for his bullet wounds and now laughs, explaining, “He was a pretty ornery fellow, so when he was being worked on, a priest came in and was going to anoint him. And Sonny looked at him and said, ‘What the hell are you doing? I’m not Catholic!’ The confused priest said, ‘You got a rosary.’ And Sonny exclaimed, ‘That’s that damn driver of mine!’.”

Sonny and Bill managed to reconnect in the early 80s. While attending the commemoration of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Sonny ran into a soldier who was able to locate Bill. A few years later, Sonny sent Bill a rosary in the mail to replace the one that he had. The men conversed several times a year until Sonny’s daughter emailed to say he had passed away. Bill realizes their special bond and feels peace knowing that Sonny “died on the couch in this family room, which is how he should have gone.”

Bill also received a commendation for his bravery on Dec. 21, 1967, when an ammunition supply point of the Lai Khe Base Camp started on fire. A series of large explosions ensued and caused numerous casualties. With complete disregard for his safety, Bill made repeated trips through the fiercely burning area to search for personnel trapped in bunkers. He found and guided several men to the protection of his vehicle, undoubtedly saving their lives.

Although it wasn’t an actual conflict with the enemy, Bill remembers it as a “pretty scary” night and is again grateful for not being physically wounded.

Bill stayed in Vietnam for one year to the day. Upon his return home, he was greeted by family and friends at the airport, and those who couldn’t make it came by his parent’s house that night to welcome him home. Although the circumstances were very different, he was joyfully celebrated upon his return to Midway Airport after the Honor Flight by a large group of family members, including half of his grandchildren and long-time friends. One of his daughters live-streamed the event for those who couldn’t be there in person.

Through Veteran recognition programs like Honor Flight Chicago, Bill has graciously felt the respect and “welcome home” he deserves. His participation in Honor Flight Chicago was preceded by a White Sox stadium salute as “Hero of the Game” in 2015. One of his daughters also purchased a Hometown Hero banner in his town of Orland Park, IL, as a Christmas gift.

Bill met his wife, Mary Ann (Maggie), in 1968, four months after he returned from Vietnam. She had just graduated from nursing school, and he was out of the military, working for his father’s roofing business that remained in the family until 2003.

Maggie and Bill were married on May 23, 1970, and had four kids – three girls and a boy. They still live in the Orland Park house where they raised their kids, and now enjoy their 12 grandkids.

Bill still works a few days a week, driving a truck for one of his best roofing customers. He also stays active, aiming for 8-10,000 steps daily. So getting around D.C. was not an issue, although he did (begrudgingly) accept the help of wheelchair assistance at the airport. He loves golfing and goes out every Wednesday and Friday.

Part of the citation for Bill’s Army Commendation Medal states that his “unrelenting loyalty, initiative and perseverance brought him wide acclaim and inspired others to strive for maximum achievement.” We have no doubt.

Thank you for your service, Bill! We are so glad you enjoyed your well-earned and much-deserved Honor Flight experience!