William the son of William C. Blades Jr. and Barbara R. Blades of Pinehurst MA enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on June 16 1966 in Boston MA. In Vietnam he was assigned to and served with H&S Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 3d MARDIV (Rein) FMF.
During the first part of May the Battalion was participating on Operation PARIRIE 1V in Quang Tri Province and the CP (Command Post) was at Con Tien in Gio Linh District. At 0245 hours on the morning of May 8, the perimeter at Con Tien came under a coordinated attack by the NVA. First a barrage of mortar fire hit the Marine defenders followed by a large scale ground assault. The attack lasted well into the morning until the enemy were repelled, losses were heavy for the defenders with forty-six men killed in action and many more wounded. LCpl was one of the casualties, he was killed in action by fragmentation wounds from a hostile satchel charge.
Casualties - Killed in Action
H&S Company
William Ceacon Blades
Joseph James Dodd
John Edward Laning
Arthur Carlyle Perez
Richard Andrews Snyder
John Cullen Tate
Company A, 4th Marines - 17
Company D, 4th Marine - 18
Company A, 3d Tank Battalion
James Leroy Lester
Company B, 1st Amtrac Battalion
David Luhver Cleveland
Larry Milton Langan
HQ Battery, 12th Marines
Jimmy Edward Page
Battery D, 12th Marines
John Carl Kopacska
∼Lance Cpl. William C. Blades of Pinehurst, Massachusetts was class president four years in a row in high school and was captain of the football team. While in Vietnam, Billy asked another Marine if he could take his place during a patrol. He was in a bunker when a suicide squad attacked and detonated a bomb. After his death, a VFW hall and a city street were named in his honor. He had three sisters. He was killed in Vietnam while serving in the United States Marine Corps and is honored on Panel 19E, Row 55 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
During the first part of May the Battalion was participating on Operation PARIRIE 1V in Quang Tri Province and the CP (Command Post) was at Con Tien in Gio Linh District. At 0245 hours on the morning of May 8, the perimeter at Con Tien came under a coordinated attack by the NVA. First a barrage of mortar fire hit the Marine defenders followed by a large scale ground assault. The attack lasted well into the morning until the enemy were repelled, losses were heavy for the defenders with forty-six men killed in action and many more wounded. LCpl was one of the casualties, he was killed in action by fragmentation wounds from a hostile satchel charge.
Casualties - Killed in Action
H&S Company
William Ceacon Blades
Joseph James Dodd
John Edward Laning
Arthur Carlyle Perez
Richard Andrews Snyder
John Cullen Tate
Company A, 4th Marines - 17
Company D, 4th Marine - 18
Company A, 3d Tank Battalion
James Leroy Lester
Company B, 1st Amtrac Battalion
David Luhver Cleveland
Larry Milton Langan
HQ Battery, 12th Marines
Jimmy Edward Page
Battery D, 12th Marines
John Carl Kopacska
∼Lance Cpl. William C. Blades of Pinehurst, Massachusetts was class president four years in a row in high school and was captain of the football team. While in Vietnam, Billy asked another Marine if he could take his place during a patrol. He was in a bunker when a suicide squad attacked and detonated a bomb. After his death, a VFW hall and a city street were named in his honor. He had three sisters. He was killed in Vietnam while serving in the United States Marine Corps and is honored on Panel 19E, Row 55 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
William the son of William C. Blades Jr. and Barbara R. Blades of Pinehurst MA enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps on June 16 1966 in Boston MA. In Vietnam he was assigned to and served with H&S Company, 1st Battalion, 4th Marines, 3d MARDIV (Rein) FMF.
During the first part of May the Battalion was participating on Operation PARIRIE 1V in Quang Tri Province and the CP (Command Post) was at Con Tien in Gio Linh District. At 0245 hours on the morning of May 8, the perimeter at Con Tien came under a coordinated attack by the NVA. First a barrage of mortar fire hit the Marine defenders followed by a large scale ground assault. The attack lasted well into the morning until the enemy were repelled, losses were heavy for the defenders with forty-six men killed in action and many more wounded. LCpl was one of the casualties, he was killed in action by fragmentation wounds from a hostile satchel charge.
Casualties - Killed in Action
H&S Company
William Ceacon Blades
Joseph James Dodd
John Edward Laning
Arthur Carlyle Perez
Richard Andrews Snyder
John Cullen Tate
Company A, 4th Marines - 17
Company D, 4th Marine - 18
Company A, 3d Tank Battalion
James Leroy Lester
Company B, 1st Amtrac Battalion
David Luhver Cleveland
Larry Milton Langan
HQ Battery, 12th Marines
Jimmy Edward Page
Battery D, 12th Marines
John Carl Kopacska
∼Lance Cpl. William C. Blades of Pinehurst, Massachusetts was class president four years in a row in high school and was captain of the football team. While in Vietnam, Billy asked another Marine if he could take his place during a patrol. He was in a bunker when a suicide squad attacked and detonated a bomb. After his death, a VFW hall and a city street were named in his honor. He had three sisters. He was killed in Vietnam while serving in the United States Marine Corps and is honored on Panel 19E, Row 55 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
During the first part of May the Battalion was participating on Operation PARIRIE 1V in Quang Tri Province and the CP (Command Post) was at Con Tien in Gio Linh District. At 0245 hours on the morning of May 8, the perimeter at Con Tien came under a coordinated attack by the NVA. First a barrage of mortar fire hit the Marine defenders followed by a large scale ground assault. The attack lasted well into the morning until the enemy were repelled, losses were heavy for the defenders with forty-six men killed in action and many more wounded. LCpl was one of the casualties, he was killed in action by fragmentation wounds from a hostile satchel charge.
Casualties - Killed in Action
H&S Company
William Ceacon Blades
Joseph James Dodd
John Edward Laning
Arthur Carlyle Perez
Richard Andrews Snyder
John Cullen Tate
Company A, 4th Marines - 17
Company D, 4th Marine - 18
Company A, 3d Tank Battalion
James Leroy Lester
Company B, 1st Amtrac Battalion
David Luhver Cleveland
Larry Milton Langan
HQ Battery, 12th Marines
Jimmy Edward Page
Battery D, 12th Marines
John Carl Kopacska
∼Lance Cpl. William C. Blades of Pinehurst, Massachusetts was class president four years in a row in high school and was captain of the football team. While in Vietnam, Billy asked another Marine if he could take his place during a patrol. He was in a bunker when a suicide squad attacked and detonated a bomb. After his death, a VFW hall and a city street were named in his honor. He had three sisters. He was killed in Vietnam while serving in the United States Marine Corps and is honored on Panel 19E, Row 55 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
