My Uncle, William Henry Bric,III, known to all as Bill, was born on March 11, 1949,in New York.
He was the second of four children born to William Henry Jr. and Ruth Bric.
When he was two years old, the family moved to Burbank, California.
Bill attended Burbank High School and graduated in 1967.
He was known by all to be a kind, caring young man who was always unusually concerned about other people.
He was a good student and enjoyed playing competitive sports, especially baseball.
Bill was extremely dedicated to his country and displayed many characteristics of his Father's patriotism.
he could have attended college, but instead he volunteered to enlist in the United States Army and he went on to become a Green Beret.
His goal was to become a Green Beret because he had always wanted to be the best, and they were considered to be the best soldiers in the military.
Aside from being soldiers, the Green Beret's were Cross-trained as Medics and in other areas where they could serve the people that they defended.
Our Family has a history Of loyal service to our country and Bill looked to his Father for inspiration.
My Grandfather served in World War II as an Officer with the "Flying Tigers" (14th Air Force) in China where he met Ruth, a Red Cross Nurse.
My Father, Steve, was in ROTC in Santa Clara and went on to serve in the U.S. Army Air Defense Artillery.
Bill felt that it was important that he defend his country, just as his family had done.
His first tour of duty was Vietnam in 1968.
On August 23rd, 1968, at about 3:00 a.m., Bill was on Perimeter Guard.
The Viet Cong were sneaking in for an attack and Bill threw a grenade to warn his fellow soldiers, which allowed them to prepare for the attack.
He worked his way back into the camp and saw that some of his fellow soldiers were trapped by the enemy.
He exposed himself and opened fire in order to draw their attention away from his friends.
Bills unselfish act cost him his life.
He died at the age of 19, only two years older than I am now.
William Bric was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for Valor with First Oak Leaf Cluster for heroism.
His Family proudly accepted this honor.

As a child, I used to hold a small pewter frame in my hand and stare at the enclosed picture, trying to determine just what Uncle Bill was like.
The black and white photograph was a snapshot of a handsome young man, with serious eyes and a lopsided smile that reflected a warm and caring heart.
The man was poised, proud of the U.S. Army uniform that he wore.
Still, I was not able to truly know what Uncle Bill was like until I was old enough to hear stories.
Over the years, I have listened to many stories of Bill's bravery his kindness, his complete unselfishness, and his loving nature.
It is from these stories that I have grown to feel I know the Uncle that I have never met.
When the news of Bills death arrived, the Family experienced mixed emotions.
There was a tremendous sense of loss.
Bill was loved by so many and the fact that their lives would have to go on without him was something that was not easy to accept.
He was such a special person and he exhibited qualities that most of us strive for in our lives.
His simple acts of kindness were what made him so amazing.
One time, a boy that he knew in high school asked him to be a pallbearer in a funeral for someone that he had never met.
Bill did not even hesitate in his response.
He was willing to help anyone who needed it and because of things like this, he was well-known for his kind heart.
The Family also felt a tremendous sense of pride in Bill.
They knew that he had died while serving his country.
He had made the largest sacrifice that anyone can make;
he had sacrificed his life for his friends, his fellow soldiers and his country.
The Family was proud of what Bill had made of himself.
He was a person that very few would have anything negative to say about, he was admired by many, and he was constantly concerned about others.
His death was tragic, but the Family was able to look back on the life that he had lived and feel extreme pride in Bill.
My Grandmother had a more difficult time in dealing with Bills death because of the hatred that many people were expressing about the Vietnam War.
People like Bill were often criticized for participating in the war and this negative feeling made Ruth angry that people who fought for our country were not appreciated.
Instead of feeling the same pride in Bill that his family had, many Americans were criticizing him and others like him for being in Vietnam.
Ruth's bitterness was further amplified by the arrival of a fraud posing as a Green Beret soldier.
in the time the Family was waiting for Bills body to come home, a man dressed in full uniform, identified himself as Major Canoe, came to the door.
He said he was there to represent the Green Beret at Bills funeral, and the Family welcomed him, taking him in almost as if he were a family member himself.
Ruth was the only one who suspected anything.
Within five minutes of meeting Major Canoe, she phoned the F. B. I..
She thought that she was probably wrong in her suspicions, yet she could not shake the feeling that something was wrong.
In the week and a half that followed, she'd never allowed anyone to be alone with this man.
She never told anyone of her suspicions, not even her husband.
At Bills funeral, Major Canoe was in front with the Family, and he even placed his Green Beret on Bills casket.
His performance was so convincing that even the Army Honor Guard at the funeral was fooled.
Days after the funeral, the FBI notified my Grandparents to tell them that the man posing as Major Canoe was wanted for fraud, violent crimes and sexual assault.
He had been attempting to get money from our family by saying that he was going to start a camp for children who had lost loved ones in the war.
When this information came out, my Grandparents set up a meeting where Major Canoe was arrested.
This experience made the Family even more bitter.
They could not believe that someone would take advantage of a Family who had just experienced such a tragic loss.
Over the last 17 years, I have heard all of these stories and more about what Bill was like and about how his death impacted our Family.
Every year, around Thanksgiving, we visit the Moving Wall, where the names of soldiers who died in Vietnam are displayed.
It makes me think about how his death has affected me.
I have always admired my Uncle Bill and I am striving to possess the qualities that he did.
He was a person whose kindness, unselfishness and courage is not commonly found today.
Despite what I hear about why the Vietnam war was wrong and why we shouldn't have been over there, I am proud of my Uncle and proud of those who were willing to risk their lives for their country.
I know that, because of my Uncle Bill, there are people out there with Uncles, Grandpas, Husbands, and Fathers, who would not be alive today if it hadn't been for his unselfish actions.
Bill believed in his country, his unit, and the Green Berets. He put the welfare of his friends and fellow soldiers above himself. He is truly a hero.

CHAPTER 53 HOME

NORTH HIGH ESSAY

WEST HIGH ESSAY

REDONDO'S ESSAY