Word Celebrity Blog

Billy Walkabout

The Most Decorated Native American Soldier
Of The Vietnam War Dead at 57

Billy Walkabout, a native Cherokee whose actions in Vietnam made him among most decorated soldiers of the war, died Wednesday, March 7, 2007, at a hospital in Norwich, Connecticut, his stepdaughter said Sunday.

Walkabout, who was 57, lived in Montville. He died of pneumonia and renal failure.


























He had experienced complications related to his exposure to the Agent Orange defoliant used during the Vietnam conflict, and he had been on a kidney transplant waiting list and was undergoing dialysis three times a week.

However, had not been seriously ill until his immunity weakened recently and he developed pneumonia.






































Billy Walkabout was a Cherokee of the Blue Holley Clan, born in Cherokee County, Oklahoma, on March 31, 1949. He was the son of Warren Walkabout and Bobby Jean Chaudoin Walkabout. He was married to Juanita Medbury-Walkabout on 3 April 2000.

Billy lived much of his life in Oklahoma before moving to eastern Connecticut about seven years ago. At the time of his death, Walkabout and his wife, Juanita Medbury - Walkabout, lived in a portion of eastern Connecticut that is home to many Mashantucket Pequot, Mohegan and other Native American tribal members.

Billy was a life member of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Disabled American Veterans, Legion of Valor and the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.


























Billy honored himself, his family and the Cherokee Nation during the Vietnam War serving in Company F 58th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, and was awarded many medals including the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions.

Walkabout received the Distinguished Service Cross, Purple Heart, five Silver Stars and five Bronze Stars. He was believed to be the most decorated Native American soldier of the Vietnam War, according to U.S. Department of Defense reports.

In a 1986 interview with The Associated Press, Walkabout said his 23 months in Vietnam left him with disabling injuries and memories that refused to fade.

He was an 18-year-old Army Ranger sergeant when he and 12 other soldiers were sent on an assassination mission behind enemy lines on November 20, 1968, in a region southwest of Hue.

However, they ended up in the enemy's battalion area and came under fire for hours, during which he was seriously wounded. Several of the other 12 men were killed at the scene, while the rest later died of their injuries.

Walkabout's citation for the Distinguished Service Cross said he simultaneously returned fire, helped his comrades and boarded other injured soldiers onto evacuation helicopters.

"Although stunned and wounded by the blast, Sergeant Walkabout rushed from man to man administering first aid, bandaging one soldier's severe chest wound and reviving another soldier by heart massage," the citation states. "Only when the casualties had been evacuated and friendly reinforcements had arrived, did he allow himself to be evacuated."

His actions were recounted in the book "Eyes of the Eagle", by Gary A. Linderer, one of the wounded men whom called Walkabout "A hero earning a Medal of Honor before my eyes".

He retired at the rank of Second Lieutenant. In a 1986 interview with The Associated Press, Walkabout said his 23 months in Vietnam left him with disabling injuries and memories that refused to fade. "War is not hell," Walkabout said. "It's worse."

He said he struggled with failed marriages, thoughts of suicide and years of self-isolation when he would spend six months at a time alone.

"Everyone I went to high school with thought I was dead for years. They're amazed when they see me and they say, 'You're not dead."' Walkabout said.

He said he often refused to sleep near his wife, afraid he would strangle her in his sleep or try to push her under the bed to protect her from the bombs he imagined were going off.

Over the years, however, he found solace in the Native American powwows where he often was an honored guest, leading the traditional dances in time to the pounding drums and chant of the singers.

























"I'm at peace with myself," Walkabout said in 1986. "I've got my dignity and I've got my pride. ... I never lost the war in Vietnam, I never lost a day of it. Even when I was wounded, I didn't lose. When I fought, I won. I won my wars."

Walkabout met his future wife, Juanita, when she was attending school in Oklahoma, and they moved to Connecticut after their marriage to be close to her family, Johnson said Sunday.

"They had that little bit of perfect for the short time they had together," Johnson said of her mother and stepfather. "Although he was very private and traditional, he was a storyteller. He always told us he felt it was his duty and his honor to serve his country."

Walkabout's family and friends tended a round-the-clock fire in Montville after his death on Wednesday, and planned to extinguish it at midnight Sunday as part of a four-day Cherokee ceremony.

The smoke fire is believed to carry prayers to heaven and spiritual messages from place to place around the world, and to carry Walkabout's soul back to the creator once the embers had cooled, Johnson said.























A memorial service is scheduled to take place in in Norwich. His family had him buried at Arlington National Cemetery.





BILLY B. WALKABOUT, .
Sergeant, United States Army
Company F, 58th Infantry Regiment,
101st Airborne Division

Date of Action: November 20, 1968

Headquarters, United States Army,
Vietnam, General Orders No. 3945 (1969)


























Citation:

The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Billy B. Walkabout, Sergeant, United States Army, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations involving conflict with an armed hostile force in the Republic of Vietnam, while serving with Company F, 58th Infantry, 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile).

Sergeant Walkabout (then Specialist Four) 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 arrived and the lead man began moving toward the pick-up zone, he was seriously wounded by hostile automatic weapons fire. Sergeant 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 solider 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, Sergeant 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, Sergeant 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.

Sergeant Walkabout's extraordinary heroism and devotion to duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.