December, 1966 – Here’s Bill on his last leave at home prior to heading back to Fort Riley, Kansas. His Unit, Charlie Company, 4th/47th, departed January 6, 1967 by troop train to Oakland, California and then aboard a troop ship, USS General John Pope, to Vung Tau, Viet Nam.
These pages are dedicated to the memory of Bill Geier by his brother Bob and other Geier family members. These items have been preserved by Bob and his mother, Bernice Geier.
Bill giving his loving mother, Bernice, a big hug in their Maywood, Illinois home approximately July, 1966 following Bill’s completion of Basic Training at Fort Riley.
January, 1967 – Bill, enjoying our luxurious sleeping quarters on the USS General John Pope enroute to Viet Nam.
Bill & our buddy Idolius “Bear” Casares aboard the Pope. On patrol, the “Bear” was wounded in the leg by a bullet outa nowhere – it was the strangest thing.
Here’s Bill outside 2nd Platoon’s tent at Camp Bearcat in February, 1967. Our first home in Viet Nam.
2nd Platoon shortly after arriving at Dong Tam – April, 1967. Bill and friends taking a break before the next patrol.
Here’s Bill and Harold Exum, a Texan, off to Vung Tau for R & R.
Bill is one happy soldier being on R & R and away from the rigors of searching out Viet Cong in the dirty, rotten, stinkin’ Rung Sat swamp, jungles and rice paddies of the Mekong Delta.
Bill is loving life strolling along a Vung Tau beach, enjoying one his favorite delights, pineapple. While in Viet Nam, we used to eat those things until our mouths were raw from the pineapple acid.
I suspect that Bill just arrived in Vung Tau for his R & R, when his first order of business is to purchase another pineapple from a Vietnamese vendor.
Here’s Bill’s buddies, Danny Fischer, Mario Lopez and Bill Reynolds acting like a nut – as usual. Looks like the guys are cleaning weapons in the sleeping quarters of a barrack’s ship between patrols.
Charlie Company sets up shop at Dong Tam and Bill enjoys some time off between patrols.
Yo, Rambo……where’s Adrienne? Uh oh wrong movie!
Bill and our buddy, Mike Cramer aboard a Mobile Riverine Force Barrack Ship, the USS Benewah, positioned in Vung Tau’s Harbor.
Here’s the 2nd Platoon’s favorite past time between patrols, a grueling card game of “Hearts”. That’s Mario Lopez about to deal. I think that’s Stan Cockerell on the left and possibly Bill Geier on the right.
Colonel Baden awarding the Silver Star to Mr. and Mrs. Jack Geier.
These three items speak for themselves. Bill lost his life during a significant battle with a large Viet Cong force near the village of Ap Bac in the Mekong Delta on June 19, 1967. He was awarded the Silver Star posthumously for heroism in battle and rightfully so. He was mortally wounded while tending a seriously wounded Ronnie Bryan and he had just bandaged Bob French, who was also seriously wounded moments before. Bill Geier will be forever remembered as an American hero….
