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Final Resting Place of RT Maryland

Feb. 20, 1945
La Habra

Orange County

California, USA

Death: Nov. 3, 1969, Laos

You may be gone, no longer living on this earth; but you will live on - in the memories of your family and friends. There will always be a part of you living in those who knew you. You will live on because we remember you!


WILLIAM THEODORE BROWN - Army - SFC - E7 - Special Forces

Age: 33

Race: Caucasian

Date of Birth Feb 20, 1945
From: LA HABRA, CA
Religion: PRESBYTERIAN
Marital Status: Single

***** Hello everyone, I am Jeffery M Brown, Sgt. William T Brown's nephew. Today is Sepember 26, 2011. My uncle who went missing November 3, 1969 has finally come home. His remains have been found and will be laid to rest today at Arlington National Cematery. It was a 42 year search that has been completed. I only wish would have been for my grandparents and father to see this day. God bless our service people all over the world. It's a good feeling that the US Army works hard to find closure for the families of missing service men.
- Jeff Brown

***** Rocky Maggio - cousin
Waupaca WI 54981 USA
Billy was a cousin. He has been missing in action since 11/69. I also am a Vietnam veteran. Billy's family is all gone now. Father died this year, mother died two years ago, and brother was killed in motor cycle accident last year. He had one other brother who passed away years ago. Family is all together now. Billy never married.

***** MG(R) Eldon Bargewell
Team mate, CCN., Danang
Billy, peace, be with you, brother and thanks, for watching out over me, all these years. It will, be a great day, when we can all, meet again. Eldon RT Michigan



His tour began on Nov 3, 1969
Casualty was on Jan 8, 1979
In LZ, LAOS
Hostile, died while missing, GROUND CASUALTY
Body was not recovered
Panel 16W - Line 22
William Theodore Brown
Rank/Branch: E6/US Army
Special Forces Unit: SOA, Command & Control North, (MACV-SOG), 5th Special Forces Group.
Date of Birth: 20 February 1945 (Chicago IL).
Home City of Record: La Habra CA.
Date of Loss: 03 November 1969.
Country of Loss: Laos.
Loss Coordinates: 154800N 1064700E (XD643674).


Other Personnel in Incident: Gunther H. Wald; Donald M. Shue (both missing); six Montangards (two missing, four escaped).

Bill Brown was born in Chicago, Illinois February 20, 1945, the youngest of three boys. When Bill was two, his family moved to California, where they remained, and where he attended Cerritos College. Bill was an excellent swimmer and golfer.

In September 1965, Bill joined the Army and earned his Beret and paratrooper badge. He was sent to Vietnam on December 14, 1967. He is a demolitions expert and fluent in the Vietnamese language. In Vietnam, he helped train
Montagnard tribesmen, and was so drawn to them that he reenlisted after his tour and returned to Vietnam in May 1969.

On his second tour, Bill was attached to MACV-SOG, Command and Control North. MACV-SOG (Military Assistance Command Vietnam Studies and Observation Group) was a joint service high command unconventional warfare task force engaged in highly classified operations throughout Southeast Asia. The 5th Special Forces channelled personnel into MACV-SOG (though it was not a Special Forces group) through Special Operations Augmentation (SOA), which provided their "cover" while under secret orders to MACV-SOG. The teams performed deep penetration missions of strategic reconnaissance and interdiction which were called, depending on the time frame, "Shining Brass" or "Prairie Fire" missions.






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On 3 November 1969 Recon Team Maryland from MACV-SOG, CCN, was inserted in Laos on a recon mission. The team consisted of Gunther Wald, Bill Brown and Don Shue. The team came under heavy attack and all were mortally wounded. By the time a Bright Light team went in delayed by bad weather all that was found was some web gear. In 2009 a farmer in Laos discovered some remain that were determined by JPAC to be those of Wald, Brown and Shue. Brown and Shue were identified early, returned and buried with full honors. On 30 May 2012, Gunther Wald was finally accounted for.

On 30 August 2012, the members of RT Maryland will be buried together in Arlington National Cemetery. There will be a visitation and service for families and friends on 29 August from 1800 to 2000 at the Robert Murphy Funeral Home, 4510 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA 22203. There will be a formal service at 1100 at the Old Post Chapel on Fort Myer. A caisson will take the remains of Wald, Brown and Shue to their final resting place in Arlington. They will be burried together with full military honors.

ON THE WALL Panel 16W Line 024


Comments/Citation

03 Nov 1969 SSGT William T. Brown, SST Gunther Wald, SP4 Donald Shue and six Montagnards formed a patrol operating in Laos. The patrol team was attacked by a numerically superior force 30 miles inside Laos near Ban Chakevy Tai in Saravane Province. Four of the Montangards escaped and returned to camp to report the ambush and capture of their comrades.

When last seen, Brown had been wounded by a gunshot just below the rib cage. He was lying on the ground as the attackers shouted, "Capture the Americans". SSGT Wald and SP4 Shue were also seen to receive numerous shrapnel wounds from a fragmentation grenade. The other team members were forced to withdraw leaving them behind.

Bad weather precluded insertion of a recovery team until November 11. They searched the entire area, but could only find some web gear which was identified as belonging to three of the indigenous team members and SP4 Shue. There was no trace of any graves or of the three missing Americans. They were classified as Missing In Action.


Sgt 1st Class Donald M. Shue, U.S. Army, 5th Special Forces Group, was lost on Nov. 3, 1969, when he was attacked by enemy forces near the Laos-Vietnam border. His remains were identified on Jan. 6, 2011