Of some 58,000 soldiers who gave their lives during the Vietnam War, 17 lived in Dorchester County. This month, the Dorchester Heritage Center invites you to remember four locals who made the ultimate sacrifice. Check out their stories below.
Native of St. George, Clement Bradley Gruber, Sr. Known by his family as “Bradley”, he was killed in action on March 8, 1968 just shy of his 21st birthday.
Clement Bradley Gruber was born on April 3, 1947, to Owen “Jack” Clement Gruber and Emma Lee Walters Gruber. He was the oldest of four children, Bradley, Patricia, Greg and Deborah Jean, growing up on a large farm in St. George. Bradley helped his father on the farm even after he graduated from St. George High School in 1965. In 1966 he married Pattie Weeks and together they had a son, Clement Bradley Gruber, Jr., born on November 28, 1967.
In 1967, Bradley was drafted into the Army. He was sent to Ft. Jackson for basic training and further training at Ft. Gordon. On August 23, 1967, he was deployed with the 1st Logistical Command, 446th Transportation Company as a Heavy Vehicle Driver to Vietnam and started his tour of duty.
While serving in Da Nang, Bradley was issued a truck that he dearly loved. He wrote home about his truck and how he could drive it very fast in reverse. Pictures were taken for proof! While on tour, Bradley was asked to use his truck and fill it with sandbags. He did not want to do this, so instead, he volunteered to go on patrol with his unit.
On March 8, 1968, while on patrol in the Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, his unit took on heavy fire and 8 men were killed, including Bradley. They were only a few miles from the DMZ.
Back home in the little country town of St. George, where everyone knew everyone, two military officers came looking for the Gruber home. Local people saw them at the country store asking for directions and figured out exactly why they were there. As they approached Bradley’s parents’ home, his mother was home alone. A friend hurried over on horseback after seeing the men in town.
When Mrs. Emma Lee looked through the window and saw the two men in uniform, she froze. She waited for her friend to approach before she opened the door. They were told that Bradley was missing in action. The news spread like wildfire. His sister and brother were in St. George leaving school when a friend asked if they had heard the news. When they arrived home, vehicles lined the street as neighbors came in support.
One week later, the Army officials came back to tell the family that Bradley was gone. The Army knew all along that he had been killed even though they were first told he was missing in action. The family was told that he was carried to the hospital where he was operated on but died from his wounds. One week later, his body was sent home. Services were held and Bradley was laid to rest in the UDC Cemetery in St. George. Bradley’s name is inscribed on the Vietnam War Memorial, in Washington, D.C. on panel 43E, Line 54.
A few weeks after his death, the family received a letter from Bradley. The letter was filled with excitement. He had received his orders that when he returned home, he was going to be stationed at Ft. Stewart and would spending some time there for training. Bradley was elated and went on to say he only had 20 more days on tour. Those dreams were left unfulfilled, like many others whose lives were cut short in their prime.
Sadly, stories like this were repeated sixteen times in Dorchester County.
We introduce you to Summerville native, Hilbert Marion Singletary, who was killed in action on November 16, 1966 at 20 years old.
Hilbert Marion Singletary, Jr. was born on March 19, 1947 to Hilbert M. and Mary E. Singletary of Summerville, SC. “Marion”, as he was known, attended Summerville High School and was very active, playing football for the Greenwave. Marion graduated from Summerville High School in 1965.
Marion arrived in Vietnam and was assigned to Hotel Company, 2nd Battalion, 9th Marine Regiment, 3rd Marine Division in 1966.
In late 1965 and early 1966, the Viet Cong (VC) and the People’s Army of Vietnam (PAVN) intensified their military threat along the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). The tactical goal of these incursions was to draw United States military forces away from cities and towns. To counter these actions, the U.S. Military initiated Operation Prairie. The majority of the activities were conducted by the 3rd Marine Division in the Con Thien and Gio Linh regions with the main objective of stopping the PAVN 324B Division from crossing the Demilitarized Zone and invading Quang Tri Province.
In November U.S. intelligence learned that the 324B Division had moved back north of the DMZ and, while the 341st Division had apparently infiltrated the southern Prairie area, they remained inactive.
Faced with the reduced PAVN threat, by the end of the year, III MAF had reduced its forces to just the 3rd Marines. Marion, a rifleman, was about 2 kilometers southeast of Mai Loc Airfield. While participating in Operation Prairie, Marion was killed during an attack in the Quang Tri region of Vietnam by hostile forces.
Marion’s body is buried at Live Oak Memorial Gardens in Charleston, SC. PFC Hilbert M. Singletary’s name is inscribed on the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C. on panel 12E, Line 81.
Many families lost loved ones during the Vietnam War who waited anxiously for the remains to be brought back to their home and their final resting place and closure. For some however, those that remain Missing in Action (MIA), the sorrow of a lost loved one sinks a little deeper.
The Dorchester Heritage Center invites you to remember 1st Lt. James (Jimmy) H. Villeponteaux Jr.
Jimmy was born in Cordesville, South Carolina on 23 November 1940 to James H. Villeponteaux Sr. and Myrtle Cannon Villeponteaux. Jimmy had a younger brother named Jack Alvin. Jimmy was an active and athletic teenager having played football at Berkley High School under Hall of Fame football coach Gerald Moody. Jimmy graduated in 1959 and earned a football scholarship to Newberry College where he also played football. Jimmy had also enlisted in the United States Marine Corps under the college ROTC program where he completed his basic training over the summers. It is there he met his future bride, Barbara Ann Bair. After college, Jimmy and his wife were assigned to Pensacola Fl. where he started flight school and their first son was born in 1963, James H Villeponteaux III. After completing basic flight training, Jimmy was sent to Beeville Texas for jet training in the A4 Skyhawk aircraft. After training, Jimmy was assigned to his 1st duty station at Beaufort Marine Corps Air Station, in Beaufort SC.
While at Beaufort, Jimmy and Barbara had their second son, Randel Clay Villeponteaux. It was not long when Jimmy received new orders and was to be deployed overseas. Leaving Beaufort, the family moved to Harleyville, where they call home today. Barbara taught school at Summerville High School while she cared for the two boys while Jimmy was gone.
Jimmy was deployed to Chu Lai, Vietnam as part of the VMA-311, MAG-12, 1st MAW, III MAF as a pilot for the United States Marine Corps “Tom Cats”. 1st Lieutenant Villeponteaux, flying the A4 Skyhawk, delivered napalm as well as other bombing packages to strategic targets throughout the war.
On May 11, 1966, Jimmy was flying his A-4E BuNo 151995 as one member of a night mission over the Ho Chi Minh Trail area of Laos. These bombing runs, known as “Steel Tiger” missions, would primarily take place at night and without normal aeronautical running lights, just radio and radar contact.
During this nighttime strike, in complete darkness, Jimmy’s plane and the plane operated by his wing man came into contact with one another. As a result of the midair collision, Jimmy’s plane went into a dive and crashed seven miles east of Saravane, Laos. Jimmy’s wingman, flying A-4E BuNo 151994, flew his damaged aircraft safely back to Chu Lai. The wingman radioed in the coordinates of the crash site to command and troops were put on alert at the borders of Laos. With Laos being neutral during the war, no US troops could enter and no rescue attempt to find Jimmy was made.
The news of Jimmy’s loss was delivered by a Chaplain and a Marine Corps officer. They arrived at Summerville High School and were escorted by the principal to her classroom. Officially, Jimmy was Missing in Action and very little details other than he was lost in the night from the midair collision. Days and months passed with no further word and hope dwindled that Jimmy was alive. The Marine Corps revised his status to MIA/KIA.
The Marine Corps provided a foot stone that was placed in Biggin Cemetery in Jimmy’s birth home of Cordesville. The family placed a marker over an empty grave in Harleyville Cemetery in Harleyville as a solemn reminder of Jimmy’s sacrifice.
Many years later the crash site was discovered, and excavation of the area however, found no human remains, further frustrating the story of what happened on that dark night in 1966. The family also traveled to Cambodia, Thailand, and Laos, but they were not able to go to the crash site. After 54 years, the family continues to hope someday Jimmy’s remains will be found and repatriated. 1st Lt. James H. Villeponteaux Jr name can be found on the Vietnam War Memorial Wall, in Washington D.C. on Panel 7E, Line 47.
Finally, the Dorchester Heritage Center invites you to remember Dorchester County’s own fallen hero, Joseph Odell Strickland.
Joseph Odell Strickland was born September 23, 1949, and was the third of seven siblings of Odell and Joan Strickland and grew up in the rural Ridgeville area and attended Harleyville – Ridgeville High School.
Joseph’s parents were both military veterans, his dad serving in the U.S. Army, and his mom was serving in the British RAF. They met when both were stationed in Germany post WWII. They had seen war firsthand. They married and had a daughter, Sylvia while still stationed in Germany.
Joseph and his three brothers, William, known as Billy and Robert known as Bobby, who were twins, were all set to join the military as soon as they graduated from high school. William and Robert went into the U.S. Air Force and Randolph chose the National Guard. Sylvia also served four years in the U.S. Air Forces as did her husband, serving twenty-two years.
Joseph chose the U.S. Army for military service, and joined the famous 101st Airborne Division, and was enlisted on March 20, 1968, and reported to Fort Jackson S.C. for basic training. After training Joseph found himself in Vietnam in August 1968. Joseph was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, D company of the 502nd Infantry Division.
Joseph probably didn’t know, as most Americans serving in Vietnam that this was the deadliest time of the war. The Tet Offensive began in January 1968 encompassing a combined assault of Viet Minh and North Vietnamese armies.
Attacks were carried out in more than 100 cities and outposts across South Vietnam, including Hue and Saigon and the U.S. Embassy was invaded. During the period of February 11-17 of 1968 the highest casualty rate for the U.S. was recorded with 543 KIA during this period. Heavy fighting and casualties continued through 1969 which changed many Americans to question our involvement in such a costly war.
Joseph’s sister, Sylvia, recounted that her parents, who were living in Ridgeville at the time, knew the worst when her mother saw the two military men walking up the path to the house and what they were going to tell her. Sylvia also knew when she received a telegram while she was stationed at Hickam at the time. The twin brothers, Billy, and Bobby were notified on February 12, their shared 18th birthday, which was the same day they were required to register for the draft.
On February 8, 1969, Joseph’s company D was moving up from the south towards the DMZ where they encountered the Viet Cong. They called in Artillery Support by the division’s mortar team and one of the mortars fell short, sending a mortar fragment through Joseph’s helmet. The incident was known as a friendly fire event and noted in the official report of February 14, 1969. Friendly fire casualties were not uncommon in Vietnam, as close artillery and air support often were necessary in the heavy jungle environment.
Joseph’s death was hard felt by his fellow soldiers and officers. In a letter to Joseph’s parents by Major General Melvin Zais, he said “Joseph was indeed a fine soldier, who fought with courage and determination for his country and his ideals. He was brave in battle.”
The Dorchester Heritage Center honors all those who lost their lives in the service of our country.
Dorchester County’s Vietnam War Lost, but not forgotten:
Donald R. Bair – Jack W. Brasington – Chris Brown, Jr. – Jerry T. Driggers – William Ellis, Jr. – Clement B. Gruber – Vertis J. Hill – William Jenkins – Thomas W. Poore – Gary K. Roberts – Hilbert M. Singletary, Jr. – Joseph O. Strickland – Larry Villanueva – Clarence L. Way – John L. Hines – William T. Smith
Missing in Action – Presumed Dead:
James H. Villeponteaux, Jr.
The Dorchester Heritage Center opened its Veteran’s Exhibit on Memorial Day 2018. In that exhibit, there are remembrances to honor all our local Dorchester County veterans, especially those who gave their lives in the service of our country.
If you have a story to share regarding any of these men or others, please contact us so we may document and preserve it for future remembrances.