On May 10, 1969, PFC William Walters was acting as a guide man on the plume of a floating barge
crane on the Saigon River. The crane to which PFC Walters was attached with a safety belt was lifting 80’ steel beams into place during a construction project. While lifting one of the beams, the crane turned and fell into the water, taking Walters with it.
The Saigon River contains a heavy layer of silt on its bed. An object the weight and size of a crane would fall through the silt, seeking the bedrock below. Depending on the depth of the silt layer, Walters and the crane could have been many feet below the silt level. Searches for 10 days failed to find any trace of William Walters.
War is hell. Men are killed by other men whom they call their enemy. But men are also killed by "misadventure" - by senseless drowning, falls, and by being in the wrong place at the wrong time. From all appearances, it seems that Walters was in the wrong place, and just got unlucky.
The shame of it is that at 19, William Walters had just begun to live. Because no trace of Walters’ remains were found, his name is maintained among those who are missing and captured in Southeast Asia. Experts believe that hundreds of these Americans are still alive, captive, and want to come home. One can imagine that William Walters would gladly help bring them home.
Incidental Information
