Looking back: Remembering William E. Henry
Photo courtesy of Washington County Historical Society
Cmdr. William Henry in 2007 in the Military Heritage Museum at Washington County Historical Society
Courtesy of Washington County Historical Society
U.S. Navy medals belonging to Cmdr. William E. Henry
Cmdr. William E. Henry
Photo courtesy of the Washington County Historical Society
Cmdr. William E. Henry collection on display in the Military Heritage Museum
Washington County has played a significant role in the military history of the United States.
Washington County boasts Medal of Honor recipients SSgt. Karl Taylor and Col. Walter Marm, the father of modern battlefield medicine Jonathon Letterman, Commander of the 10th Pa. Regiment during the Spanish-American War Col. Alexander Hawkins, and Capt. David Acheson who died at Gettysburg. These are just a few of the Washington County natives who are remembered for their service. However, there are many others who may not be as well known, but also answered the call and served their country. One such person is William E. Henry.
On December 5, 1935, Cmdr. William E. Henry was born to Rush and Huldah Henry of Springfield Avenue, Washington. He attended the Fifth Ward School, then Washington High School, from which he graduated in 1953. Following high school, Henry enrolled at Washington & Jefferson College. While attending W&J, he worked as a teller at Mellon National Bank and decided that he would make his career in banking. Following his graduation in 1957, he was accepted into the prestigious Wharton School of Business at University of Pennsylvania. His professional career was put on hold, however, when he faced being drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. Henry chose instead to enlist in the U.S. Navy and, April 8, 1960, he was commissioned as an ensign at the Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I. Over the years, Henry became a bit of a celebrity in Washington, as the local newspapers documented his rise through the ranks of the Navy.
During his career, he served tours of shore duty in Newport; Athens, Ga.; Norfolk, Va.; Charleston, S.C.; Washington, D.C., and Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. He also served in Vietnam from 1964 to 1965 and in London from 1965 to 1968. His sea duty included service on the destroyer U.S.S. R.L. Wilson and the aircraft carrier U.S.S. John F. Kennedy. Henry was honored for his service, and his awards include the Meritorious Service Medal and the Navy Commendation Medal. He also received the National Defense Medal, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal and the Republic of Vietnam Service Medal. In 1986, after 26 years of active duty, Henry retired from military service.
In 2007, Henry donated a collection of items to the Washington County Historical Society, representing his years of naval service. The collection includes his commendation and service medals, his official Navy regulation officer’s dress sword and case, items from the aircraft carrier U.S.S. John F. Kennedy, and a flag that flew over the U.S.S. Arizona Memorial in Pearl Harbor. Many of these items are on permanent display at the historical society in the Military Heritage Museum.
At the time of his donation to the historical society, Henry was asked what he remembered most about his service. He mentioned his time on the R.L. Wilson and spoke of some of his friends from the service. But, after a quick chuckle, he said his fondest memory was the time he was assigned as the personal liaison for actress and Playboy model Ursula Andress while she was on the U.S.S. John F. Kennedy during a USO tour.
Henry died at the age of 80 on August 6, 2016. Before his passing, he spoke of his service to his country: “When you get down to it, I was just a young local guy looking at a career in banking, but facing the Army draft I enlisted in the Navy for four years. Then I found that I really enjoyed the Navy so much that I made a career of it. That career was neither heroic nor extraordinary, but basically similar to many, many others that served their county in all the branches of the military.”
Clay Kilgore is executive director of the Washington County Historical Society.