William Caldwell

Captain William Caldwell (ret), USMC Captain William (Bill) Caldwell (ret) passed away on Oct. 16, 2020, in Springfield, VA, with his wife, Marjorie (Marjann) Hake Caldwell, and family by his side. Born to William J. and Charmian Caldwell on September 7, 1935, in Chicago, IL, Bill and his mother moved to Bolivar, MO, upon his father’s passing in 1945. During his years at Bolivar High School, he was a letterman, played on Bolivar’s only undefeated football team to date, was awarded the state Future Farmers of America award and set the county record for the 440-yard dash. After graduating high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1953. Initially stationed in Korea with the First Marine Division as a rifleman for 13 months, he was later deployed for the Cuban Missile Crisis on Oct. 27, 1962, onboard the USS Iwo Jima—the first amphibious assault battleship. In June 1963, he was deployed to Okinawa, Japan. This one-year deployment was cut short when his squadron was transferred to Da Nang, Vietnam, as one of the first units to participate in Operation Shufly. It was there that his squadron, HMM-361, earned the nickname “Ross’s Rice Runners.” As a Rice Runner, he served as a helicopter door gunner and then loadmaster for UH-34D helicopters. Wounded on his 80th combat mission, he was awarded the Purple Heart. He was then commissioned as a warrant officer and transferred to his new job as press officer at the Marine Corps Air Station in Beaufort, SC. In 1968, he returned to Vietnam for his second tour of duty as a public affairs officer and media escort, assisting U.S. network television crews filming combat operations during the Tet Offensive. During this period, he was trapped by an ammo dump explosion in a bunker in Dong Ha for six days. Bill was also at Hue City, A Shau, Khe Sanh and Dewey Canyon battles. His last assignment with the Corps began in 1969 when he was transferred to the Pentagon and became an information officer and a Defense Department spokesman. He retired in 1974 after 21 years of service. After enrolling at the University of Missouri School of Journalism and receiving his degree in 1976, Bill returned to the Pentagon as the Chief of the Office of the Secretary of Defense News Division. He retired from the Department of Defense in 1993 after serving 36 years and was awarded the Secretary of Defense Medal for Meritorious Civilian Service by then Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney. Upon retirement, Bill dedicated himself to taking care of his two-year old daughter, Anna Charmian Caldwell, during the early years of her battle with leukemia and the after-effects of a bone marrow transplant. She preceded him in death in 2014. Bill was soft-spoken, with a sharp sense of humor. A climbing enthusiast, he proudly summited Mount Whitney, Mount Kilimanjaro, and trekked to Mount Everest Base Camp. Bill had a fondness for radios, newspapers, and collecting antiques. He will be missed. Bill is survived by his loving wife of 40 years, Marjorie (Marjann) Hake Caldwell, Springfield, VA; three children: William J. Caldwell (Michele Toth), Washington, DC; Robin Gimson, Big Bear Lake, CA; Whitney Caldwell (Joshua Morin), Vienna, VA; and three grandchildren: Corey Kuhn (Steven), Herndon, VA; Grace Caldwell, Washington, DC; and Evan Morin, Vienna, VA. Bill will be buried with military honors at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.