William A. Maguire, Jr. was born on June 16, 1949, into a large family. His home of record is Short Hills, NJ. He had two brothers, Anthony and Joseph, and three sisters, Lisa, Jane and Julia. He was a graduate of the Millburn Elementary School and Cranwell Preparatory School in Pittsfield, MA.
Maguire served in the US Marine Corps with the 2nd Battalion, 5th Regiment, 1st Marine Division in the DMZ. He completed boot camp at Parris Island, SC. He attained the rank of Private First Class (PFC).
Maguire is listed as killed in action. He died in a hospital in Da Nang, Vietnam two days after contracting a fever while on patrol as a rifleman in the DMZ, on September 28, 1969. He had been in Vietnam only four weeks.
In a letter to Maguire’s mother shortly after her son’s death, General Creighton W. Abrams writes:
It is my hope that you will find a measure of solace in knowing your son gave his life for a noble cause, the defense of liberty in the free worlds. Rest assured that we who remain here in Vietnam will continue our efforts to bring leave to this troubled land so that your son’s sacrifice will not have been in vain.
Services were held at the Hopping Funeral Home in Springfield, NJ, followed by a mass at St. Rose Lima Church in Short Hills, NJ.
Williams’ memory was honored at a public ceremony on May 7, 2004, dedicating a memorial at Millburn High School for former students who died in the Vietnam War.
Sources: Virginia Maguire (mother) and NJVVMF.
12/17/2024
