Name of individual: William Allen Rawson
Branch of service: Marines
Sex: Male
Occupation prior to service: Student
Highest rank achieved: 2nd Lieutenant
Foreign war(s) served: Vietnam
Killed in action location: South Vietnam
Date of death: June 2nd, 1967
Age at death: 25
Awards: Silver Star
Buried where: Arlington National Cemetery
Marital status: Married to Francie Rawson
Education: Lake Forest High School, University of Missouri
William Allen Rawson (1942-1967) graduated from Lake Forest High school in 1960. He won athletic awards in football, basketball and track. He co-captained the 1959 Conference Championship Football team. He established records as a middle-distance runner and captained the 1960 Conference Championship Track Team. Bill was an enthusiastic competitor and proponent of fair play. His integrity, sincerity, leadership and personal warmth won him the esteem of faculty and fellow students. He was proud to call Lake Forest his home town. Following graduation, Bill attended the University of Missouri, where he set several meet and conference records in the half mile and mile run. Their relay team gained recognition by the AAU as the fastest Four-mile Relay Team in the nation. Bill enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1966. In Boot camp, he was selected honor man of his platoon and selected for Officers Candidate School and commissioned a Second Lieutenant. He graduated from OCS in the upper 10% of his class. He was Platoon Leader, Company I, 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, South Vietnam. In “Operation Union I” he was cited for gallantry. In “Operation Union II” he was killed by enemy gunfire aiding one of his wounded men and posthumously awarded the Silver Star. His wife Francie, parents RADM Ralph and “Mimi” Rawson and siblings Julie, Richard and Nancy survived him. A volunteer, Bill defended the flag of the United States and the principles of freedom and democracy. He rests in Arlington National Cemetery.
Marine - killed in action June 2, 1967 - awarded the Silver star.
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