CPL.
WILLIAM WALTER LITTLE III
Born
on August 10, 1947
from BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS
Casualty was on November 7, 1967
in QUANG NAM, SOUTH VIETNAM
HOSTILE, GROUND CASUALTY
GUN, SMALL ARMS FIRE
Panel
29E--Row 41
Bill
Little
(picture courtesy of Roger Nicholson)
Cpl.
William Little served with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines,
Mike Company. He was Killed In Action during Operation ESSEX. His
name stands proud on the Mike
3/5 Wall of Honor alongside the Marines he fought and died with.
Operation ESSEX
Nick
Nicholson and Bill Little (right)
Semper
Fi, My Friend
Bill
Little, Don Kretsinger and another guy named Jones were all from Illinois.
They had a dollar bill torn into 3 pieces, and each had a piece. I
remember Bill talking about how they were going to put it back together
when they got back to the World, and have a beer to celebrate living
through that nightmare. I believe they all went through boot camp
together, and ended up in Mike Company.
If
memory serves me, they were all killed in a short time span. Kretsinger
was killed the next day when he stepped on a booby-trapped bomb, I
am not sure about Jones, I believe he was shot.
After
we were bushwacked and the wounded were loaded on the chopper to BAS,
a second lieutenant, don't remember his name, was also KIA at that
time, and they forgot to put his body on the chopper and had to carry
it with them. The next day, the company was ambushed again, and they
took a lot of casualties. I watched the corpsman giving Little mouth
to mouth resuscitation all the way in to BAS trying his best to keep
him alive, it was a tough thing to watch.
I
was on the next bed while the doctors worked on Little trying to save
him, but they couldn't. The corpsman who was working on him (can't
remember his name) stayed at the aid station while the docs worked
on him. I can remember the corpsman broke down and cried when Little
died, we both took it very hard. It is a hard thing to go through
watching your pals die like that. I can still see him laying there
after 35 years.
Steve
Walker was on the chopper also, he was hit at the same time, I believe
he was hit in the leg also. He must have went on to another hospital,
lost track of him after that, until I found him on the "Mike
" web site along with some other guys I served with.
Semper
fi, Roger "Nick" Nicholson
William
Little (left) and myself (with the knife) during a little relaxing
time. Little was KIA the same time Walker and I were shot on
Operation ESSEX, Nov. '67.~Roger "Nick" Nicholson,
Mike 3/5
It
was his 22nd birthday
Little
was killed 7, Nov. '67 on Operation ESSEX. Myself, Steve Walker-(Haygood
now) and Roger Nicholson were wounded as well as Little, and a brown
bar Lt. who was our platoon commander and had been incountry just
9 days.
The
platoon commander was killed instantly in the ambush. Little, Nicholson,
and I were medi-vac'd to BAS (Battalion Aid Station). I was treated
and given last rites, but I told the Chaplain to give Little rites
because I saw him get hit, and he had a bad sucking chest wound. He
was hit, and then a few seconds later I got hit.
I
was put on a chopper, and we waited about 20 minutes with the chopper
just idling. After about 15-20 minutes, the door gunner tapped me
on the shoulder, pointed to the BAS tent, and gave me a "thumbs
down." We then took off for Da Nang with only me on the chopper.
I found Little's sister about 12-13 yrs ago, and called her. She was
very curious about how he died, and coincidentally, it was his 22nd
Birthday when he got killed.
Semper
Fi,
Steve
"Bigfoot" Walker/ Haygood
Conive Mike One Alpha
1st Plt. Mike 3/5
Mar-Nov 1967
Cpl. David Jones Memorial
Cpl. Donald Kretsinger Memorial
Cpl. Pete Schrader Memorial
