William P. Gooding was born on December 8, 1948. His home of record is Edison, NJ. He had one sister, Susan.
He served in the US Army and attained the rank of Sergeant (SGT). He was assigned to the 199th Light Infantry Brigade, American Division.
Gooding was killed in action on August 17, 1969. He was survived by his wife, Nancy, his sister, and his mother, Evelyn Pfisterer.
He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnamese Service Medal with one bronze service star, the Vietnam Campaign Ribbon and the Purple Heart.
Gooding’s name appears on the Township of Edison Memorial in Edison, NJ.
Bill Gooding was born in Brooklyn, NY, on December 8, 1948. He lived there with his sister, Susan, who was then just two, his Mom, Evelyn, nee Greer, and his Dad, William Phillip.
Bill’s Dad passed away in 1950, when he was only two years old, leaving his mom to rely on the moral support of her seven brothers and sisters to help raise her two small children. Her four brothers, Phillip, Raymond, Matthew and John, were all veterans of WWII. There is no question that their pride in serving our country had a major effect on Bill.
In 1964, Bill’s Mom remarried, then becoming Mrs. Edwin Pfisterer and relocated to Edison, NJ. Bill attended John P. Stevens High School, graduating in 1966. It was then that Bill became a part of my life.
Bill had a magnetism about him. He was confident and it showed. He was always up for having a good time, an amazing zest for life, and a personality that drew people toward him. Bill’s sense of humor could not be surpassed. In short, Bill had many friends that truly loved him.
Bill and his friends spent a good deal of their time with their heads tucked under the hood of his 1950 Ford, lovingly known as “Bessie”. However, Bill’s true passion was the 1957 Corvette that he was in the process of rebuilding. Although, Bill got to complete her, he was not able to enjoy her for very long. In September of 1967, Bill and I were engaged and he decided to sell her.
Bill had an amazing relationship with his sister, Susan. She would refer to him as “Wilbur” and he lovingly referred to her as “Grendel”. To this day, the origin of those names remain a secret, but the love they displayed was evident to everyone. Susan married in the summer of 1967, leaving Bill to be the last surviving Gooding. Knowing Bill would soon be facing the draft, his Mom and I had hoped that this would keep him from the “combat zone”. Bill, being the person he was, would have proudly done whatever was asked of him.
In January 1968, Bill and I were married. At that time, he was working for Revlon in their mailroom. It was during June of that year that Bill received his draft notice and began his military career on July 3, 1968. By this time, most of Bill’s friends from school were already in some branch of the military.
Fort Dix, NJ, became Bill’s new home until the completion of his basic training. He was close enough to home that Bill’s family and I were able to attend the graduation ceremonies. He then set off for Ft. Polk, LA, for Advanced Infantry Training. Not having cell phones or the Internet, weeks would pass before anyone would hear from Bill then we would get all his mail at once. Bill would proudly share his accomplishments and reassure us that he was fine, but loved and missed everyone. Bill was becoming the perfect solider.
It was in November 1968, when Bill completed his training and was facing the inevitable……….Vietnam.
Due to Bill’s outstanding achievements throughout his training he was offered the chance to attend NCO training at Fort Benning, GA. Accepting this position allowed Bill and I to spend our first and only wedding anniversary together.
Once Bill had completed training in Georgia, he was sent back to Fort Dix, NJ. The irony of it all was that the sweetest, most loving, and compassionate person I had ever known became that “bad ass drill instructor.”
Bill’s tour of duty in Vietnam began in July 1969.
The last time we spoke was during his stop over in Hawaii. The sound of his voice conjured the image of him standing there, 5’8″, weighing 140 lbs. in his dress greens decorated with all the pins and ribbons he had already earned. The image I still hold today is of his curly brown hair, the most beautiful seafoam green eyes that seemed to envelope me, and a smile that could light a path through the darkest night.
Over the next few weeks very little communication was made mainly because of how long it took to receive mail. All I knew was that he was attached to the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Americal Division, in an area of Danang. What letters I did receive were always positive and full of love for those of us at home.
It was August 22,1969, when I was notified that Bill was missing in action. It was several days later when I was officially notified that he had been killed in action. These are excerpts from the letter I received dated September 20,1969:
On the afternoon of August 17, 1969, William’s unit was participating in a combat sweep operation near the village of An Lam, approximately 20 miles west of Tam Ky City, in the Quang Tin Province, Republic of South Vietnam. At 4:30 P.M., William was mortally wounded when the unit came under intense enemy small arms and automatic weapons fire. I hope you gain some consolation in knowing that your husband was not subjected to any prolonged suffering.
Bill was laid to rest over that Labor Day weekend in 1969. He was honored with a full military service funeral that culminated with a twenty-one gun salute. His body now lies beneath the ground at St. Gertrude’s Cemetery in Colonia, NJ. His headstone is clearly marked:
Sgt. William P Gooding
Killed in the service of his country
August 17, 1969
The day following Bill’s burial I received all the mail that he had sent. Including a letter he had written on August 17, 1969, again reassuring everyone that he had received our letters. Bill went on to say that he was in good spirits, that he loved and missed us, and not to worry about him.
Written by Nancy (Gooding) Gault, Widow
December 2006
Sources: Nancy Gooding Gault and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024
