Veteran of The Day

Veteran of the Day – PFC Billy Wayne Laws, USMC (Missouri)

Name: Billy Wayne Laws.
Rank / Branch: Private First Class, United States Marine Corps.
Unit: Company K, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines, 3rd Marine Division (Rein.)
Date of Birth: March 16, 1943.
Place of Birth: Meridian, Mississippi.
Home of Record: Kansas City, Missouri.
Date of Casualty: September 27, 1966 (wounds received September 26, 1966).
Country / Province of Loss: Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam.
Wall Location: Panel 11E, Line 22 – Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.

Private First Class Billy Wayne Laws called Kansas City, Missouri, his home of record. He joined the United States Marine Corps from there. In Vietnam, he served with Company K, 3rd Battalion, 4th Marines. They operated in the dangerous terrain of Quang Tri Province near the Demilitarized Zone.

On September 26, 1966, during Operation PRAIRIE, Billy’s platoon—the lead element for the Battalion—was suddenly hit by intense enemy fire from bunkers, mines, and grenades. When the point man was wounded and trapped under machine-gun fire, Billy moved forward through that fire to reach his fellow Marine. As he tried to pull the wounded man to safety, he was struck by enemy bullets and mortally wounded. Even as he fell, he called out for his comrades not to risk their own lives trying to rescue him while the enemy had the area zeroed in.

For his extraordinary bravery and selfless concern for others, PFC Laws was posthumously awarded the Silver Star, one of our nation’s highest decorations for valor in combat. His actions saved lives that day and left a lasting example of what it means to put others before oneself.

Today, his name is etched in black granite on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and his story continues to be shared by Marines and grateful Americans who refuse to let his sacrifice be forgotten.

mickyspano.com/ and The Micky Spano Show honor Private First Class Billy Wayne Laws, United States Marine Corps, as one of our Veterans of the Day, remembering his courage, his sacrifice, and the pride he brought to Kansas City, Missouri.