William Clifford Stensland U.S.M.C.

Major William Clifford Stensland U.S.M.C. (Retired) August 6, 1938 – August 10, 2005 Major William Clifford Stensland, U.S.M.C. (Retired), was born on August 6, 1938 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota to Roy E. Stensland and Irene Mundy Stensland. After living in Salinas, California, the family moved to Bad Wiessee, Bavaria, a time Bill fondly remembered. His school age years were spent in San Antonio, Texas. A graduate of Thomas Jefferson High School in 1956, he then accepted an appointment to the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis, MD. Upon graduation in 1960 and having always wanted to be a marine, he accepted a commission in the U.S. Marine Corps. During his active duty status he served two tours of duty in Vietnam, receiving many honors, medals, and citations. Among his personal decorations are The Silver Star, Bronze Star with Valor, Navy Commendation with Valor, two Purple Hearts, Vietnamese Staff Honor Medal, and Vietnamese Crosses of Galantry. In 1975, he was given a 100% disability honorable discharge for wounds received in Vietnam. Bill affected and was respected by many Marines and it has been said that he is one of the true heroes of the Vietnam War. He was the inspiration for the fictional characters, Lenahan in A Sense of Honor and Major Otto in Fields of Fire, novels written by James Webb. Bill was a studied historian and political commentarian who was Soulmate of his wife, Isabel. Bill lived by the creed, “Duty, Honor, Country.” Bill loved books, travel, and physical fitness. In 1993, Bill and his son Roy rode bicycles 1600 miles from Ohio to Texas, and in 1997, he rode 2, 750 miles from Seattle to Austin in 25 days, carrying 70 pounds of equipment. He sculled from Austin Rowing Dock approximately 2 million meters in the past year. Bill enjoyed framing his wife’s art and traveling with her on many occasions to Italy for significant periods of time. He maintained many lifetime friendships that have endured to this day. Bill once said, when asked what the meaning of Love was to him, “Love is watching Isabel cry every time she walks into the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi.” Memorial services will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, August 13, 2005 at Weed-Corley-Fish Chapel. Burial will be held at a later date at Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia, with Full Military Honors. Memorial contributions may be made to Marine Corps Heritage Foundation, 307 5th Avenue, Quantico, VA 22134-3422 (800)397-7585. Obituary and guestbook available online at wcfish.com