I miss him so much. He was and will always be my hero.
At a glance
Army·25th Infantry Division·Tank driver·Drafted at 19, Vietnam, 1969 to 1970·Two Purple Hearts·Bronze Star·Born December 2, 1948·Died September 28, 2001
William's story
William Clements was drafted at 19 and went to Vietnam in 1969 with the Army's 25th Infantry Division. He drove a tank.
He received two Purple Hearts, the Bronze Star, oak leaf clusters and other service medals.
William and Wanda have three daughters, Dana, Nalani and Tonya Lou, and two granddaughters, Shelby Lou and Adrian. When he came home, William was a truck driver. He was devoted to God, family and country.
In the field, he was sprayed with Agent Orange. He told his family they were all given showers afterward. They did not realize how serious it was.
In late 1999 he became sick. In 2001, just weeks after 9/11, he died at age 52. He was laid to rest with full military honors.
His daughter, Nalani, says, "I miss him so much. He was and will always be my hero."
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A tribute to William
Condolences for William's family
You don't need to have known William to leave a note here. If this story touched you, leave your condolences, a prayer, or a few kind words for William's family. Every note shows up right here on this page.
God bless you, Bill. We all went over to Vietnam and we all came home with Agent Orange in our bodies. You went too early, my Vietnam brother.
Thomas J. Dullaghan
We miss uncle William, when we were young kids uncle William and aunt Wanda would take all of us nieces and nephews to the movies, we love and miss you 🩷
Teresa Calhoun
Daddy loved to take me and my sisters to the store and he would tell us go get some candy and bring it to me, there was no limit or no you can't have that with daddy; kids could be kids and eat candy, drink chocolate milk, and just have fun. Christmas was his favorite holiday, he loved green lights, loved Christmas dinner, loved giving and watching us girls wait patiently for Santa. Daddy told us one Christmas Eve, he'll leave out some eggnog for Santa, he don't like that whole milk, it gets warm and doesn't taste good. We did and magically all that eggnog disappeared! Daddy did not want us to cry, and when I cried my eyes out when I was eight years old, daddy said to me, what's wrong baby? I told him my teacher said Santa will not visit if there was no chimney; daddy just smiled real big, and he said Santa has a key; he will use the front door. Daddy knew we didn't have a chimney and he knew just what to say to make things better. Daddy was our hero; he made our childhood magical, and when he died my childhood seemed to die with him. He left us way too soon, and all my memories of him I will forever treasure.
Nalani Clements McNary
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Help for families
Official places to learn more. Listing a resource here doesn't mean anyone qualifies for it.
- VVMF In Memory programHonors Vietnam veterans who came home and later died from causes related to their service. VVMF sets its own rules for who is included.
- Agent Orange and VA disability
- The PACT Act and your VA benefits
- Survivor benefits (Dependency and Indemnity Compensation)
- Find an accredited representative to help with a claim
- Request military service records
- Correcting military service records
- VA mental health care
Where this story comes from
- FAMILY ACCOUNT Shared by his daughter with Fire Swept Trail, October 2026. Not independently verified.