Billy Walkabout
{{short description|United States Army soldier (1949–2007)}}
{{Infobox military person
| name = Billy Walkabout
| image = Billy Walkabout.jpg
| caption =
| nickname =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1949|3|31}}
| birth_place = Cherokee County, Oklahoma, United States
| death_date = {{death date and age|2007|3|7|1949|3|31}}
| death_place = Montville, Connecticut, United States
| placeofburial = Arlington National Cemetery
| allegiance = United States
| branch = {{flag|United States Army}}
| serviceyears =
| rank = 10px Second Lieutenant{{cite web |title=Billy Walkabout, decorated American Indian veteran, dies at 57 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-11-walkabout_N.htm |website=USA Today |date=2007-03-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622103926/http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-11-walkabout_N.htm |archive-date=2011-06-22 |url-status=live}}
| unit = 58th Infantry
101st Airborne Division
| commands =
| battles = Vietnam War
| awards = Distinguished Service Cross
Bronze Star
Purple Heart
Army Commendation Medal
Ranger Tab.
| spouse =
| relations =
| laterwork =
}}
Billy Walkabout (March 31, 1949 – March 7, 2007) is thought to be the most decorated Native American soldier of the Vietnam War. He received one Distinguished Service Cross (upgraded from Silver Star), one Bronze Star Medal, one Army Commendation Medal, and one Purple Heart.
Background and family
Walkabout was born on March 31, 1949, in Cherokee County, Oklahoma.[https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-11-walkabout_N.htm Billy Walkabout, decorated American Indian veteran, dies at 57.] USA Today. March 11, 2007 (retrieved April 7, 2009) He was a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, belonging to the Blue Holly Clan, Anisahoni, and was the son of Warren Walkabout and Bobby Jean Chaudoin Walkabout.{{cite web|url=https://www.cherokeephoenix.org/news/interstate-named-in-honor-of-cherokee-military-hero/article_945c4347-e714-5922-bcf0-4c95bf2fcf46.html |title=Interstate named in honor of Cherokee military hero |date=5 May 2010 |publisher=Cherokee Phoenix |accessdate=2021-10-12}}
Military service
Walkabout served as a combat infantryman in Vietnam, serving in Company F (LRP) ( 1 Feb 1969 became L co 75th Inf RGR ) 58th Infantry, which was attached to the 101st Airborne Division. Walkabout distinguished himself by exceptionally valorous actions on 20 November 1968 during a long range reconnaissance patrol southwest of Hue.
After successfully ambushing an enemy squad on a jungle trail, the friendly patrol radioed for immediate helicopter extraction. When the extraction helicopters{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}} arrived and the lead man began moving toward the pick-up zone{{Citation needed|date=May 2020}}, he was seriously wounded by hostile automatic weapons fire. PFC Walkabout quickly rose to his feet and delivered steady suppressive fire on the attackers while other team members pulled the wounded man back to their ranks. Sergeant Walkabout then administered first aid to the soldier in preparation for medical evacuation. As the man was being loaded onto the evacuation helicopter, enemy elements again attacked the team.
Maneuvering under heavy fire, PFC Walkabout positioned himself where the enemy were concentrating their assault and placed continuous rifle fire on the adversary. A command-detonated mine ripped through the friendly team, instantly killing three men and wounding all the others. Although stunned and wounded by the blast, PFC Walkabout rushed from man to man administering first aid, bandaging one soldier's severe chest wound and reviving another soldier by heart massage. He then coordinated gunship and tactical air strikes on the enemy's positions. When evacuation helicopters arrived again, he worked single-handedly under fire to board his disabled comrades. Only when the casualties had been evacuated and friendly reinforcements had arrived, did he allow himself to be extracted.
Death
File:ANCExplorer Billy Walkabout grave.jpg
He suffered from complications arising from exposure to the Agent Orange defoliant used in Vietnam. He was waiting for a kidney transplant and took dialysis three times a week. He died of pneumonia and renal failure in a hospital in Norwich, Connecticut, survived by his wife and several children from earlier marriages.
Walkabout was buried at Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia.{{cite web |url=https://ancexplorer.army.mil/publicwmv/#/arlington-national/search/results/1/Cgl3YWxrYWJvdXQ-/|title=Burial Detail: Walkabout, Billy Bob (Section 66, Grave 59) |work= ANC Explorer|publisher=Arlington National Cemetery |id=(Official website)}}
He was honored in a portrait, Walkabout: A Warrior's Spirit, by Cherokee artist Talmadge Davis.
Notes
{{Portal|Biography}}
References
- [http://www.legacy.com/Obituaries.asp?Page=APStory&Id=12650 Obituary], Associated Press, March 12, 2007
- [https://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2007-03-11-walkabout_N.htm Billy Walkabout, decorated American Indian veteran, dies at 57], USA Today, March 11, 2007
- [http://www.norwichbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007703110376 Obituary], Norwich Bulletin, March 11, 2007
- [http://www.norwichbulletin.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007703120345 Mohegans salute 'warrior'], Norwich Bulletin, March 12, 2007
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walkabout, Billy}}
Category:United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
Category:Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Category:Cherokee Nation United States military personnel
Category:Deaths from kidney failure in the United States
Category:Deaths from pneumonia in Connecticut
Category:Native American United States military personnel
Category:People from Cherokee County, Oklahoma
Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Service Cross (United States)
Category:Recipients of the Silver Star
Category:United States Army soldiers