William Daniel ("dan") Blakely Obituary

William Daniel ("dan") Blakely attended Castro Valley High School in Castro Valley, CA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about William Daniel ("dan") Blakely.

Graduation Year	Class of 1966
Date of Passing	Feb 14, 1968
About	Excerpts From the Oakland Tribune, March 19, 1968: Army Pfc., William [Daniel] Blakely, Castro Valley, has been posthumously awarded the nation's second highest medal for heroism in Vietnam. Pfc. Blakely was killed Feb. 14, 1968, when, seriously wounded while in the act of hurling a grenade at the enemy, he smothered the explosion of the grenade with his own body. The Distinguished Service Cross was presented recently to Pfc. Blakely's parents, Mr. & Mrs. William Blakely...by Lt. Gen. Stanley R. Larsen, commanding general of the Sixth Army. The act which cost Pfc. Blakely his life took place ...in the Hai Lang area of Quang Tri Province. Pfc. Blakely was point man for his platoon of Company D, 501st Infantry, 101st Airborne Division ... despite being seriously wounded by an enemy rocket, he rescued a wounded soldier under intense fire. Clutching an activated grenade, he fell forward on it and saved the lives of his squad leader and a medic and prevented injuries to other members of his squad.