Lieutenant and Mrs. W.P. Grace Jr. He enjoyed the close community life at battalion-sized posts of the pre-World War II Army to which his father was assigned. Several of his early schoolmates were later classmates at West Point. Hearing stories about campaigns of his father’s regiment in Europe, Bill knew that he also wanted to serve his country. His father, a college honors ROTC graduate and career Infantry officer, advised him to prepare for West Point. To that end, Bill attended Augusta Military Academy in Virginia for his final two years of high school. There, he was an honors student, played football and lacrosse, and was on the fencing team. By graduation from high school, Bill had  attended 13 different schools and, at the very least, had learned how to meet people and thrive in new situations.

   Bill entered the Military Academy as the second youngest member of the Class

of ’54 and found “Beast Barracks” to be a terrific introduction for his four-year

struggle with the math and engineering departments. During those years as a cadet, Bill discovered he could meet challenges while retaining perspective and a

sense of humor, which served him well during his 30 years of service. His discipline and fighting spirit spilled over into everything he undertook and led to his receiving the Beebe Trophy as an outstanding Army fencer. The friendships forged in Company B-2 grew throughout all his years.

   Upon graduation in June 1954, Bill reported to Fort Benning, GA for the

Infantry Officer Basic Course, Ranger School, and Airborne School. Upon successful completion of the Army’s courses for newly minted Infantry officers, Bill, along with 10 other classmates, became a platoon leader in the 9th Infantry

Regiment at Fort Lewis, WA. Duty at Fort Lewis was followed by assignments as company executive officer and then as aide-de-camp to the commanding general

of the Yukon Command in Fairbanks, AK. Returning to the States, Bill became

a company executive officer and then company commander in the 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC. His dissatisfaction with the training being conducted and what he considered to be overemphasis of style over substance led to his request for transfer to Special Forces, where he confirmed the true professional

love that remained with him throughout his career. Bill was assigned once more to Fort Benning for the Infantry Officer Advanced Course and then to the Army Language School at the Presidio of Monterey, CA. While studying the

Korean language, he somewhat reluctantly

agreed to a blind date arranged by old Army friends of his parents. Surprised and

smitten on that first date, Bill proposed marriage to Gail Clark after two weeks.

They shared a wonderful marriage lasting more than 49 years, a marriage blessed by two daughters, Dr. Laura Grace and

Lisa Grace Stevens.

   Three months later, Bill joined the 1st Special Forces Group on Okinawa in what became the seminal assignment of his military career. He took one of the first A-teams to be deployed to the highlands of Vietnam for work with the

indigenous mountain tribes. A return to the 82nd Airborne Division was shortlived, as a back injury forced him out. He became a Soviet foreign area officer, earning an MA in soviet studies at Georgetown University. This designation led to continuous assignments in the intelligence community, interrupted only by a battalion command assignment at Fort Dix, NJ. Bill finished his Army career in management in the intelligence community and retired as the Director of Foreign Intelligence for the then Army Assistant Chief of Staff for Intelligence. He retired in July 1984 in Vienna, VA.

   From the Army, Bill went to work in the Aerospace Division of General Electric, remaining there for seven years until heart problems caused him to leave. He spent several years as an executive director of a refugee resettlement  organization in Arlington, VA. After retirement from that position, Bill and Gail moved to Amelia Island, FL, where they established a nonprofit ministry to help those who were too poor to qualify for help from Habitat for Humanity. Their ministry aided those in need by establishing financial independence and organizing them in the fight against drug abuse.

   After a dozen years in Florida, the lure of living close to family called Bill and

Gail to Boise, ID, where their younger daughter lived with her husband and four children. In Boise, Bill and Gail helped to establish a local affiliate of a

national ministry that served the poor and the disenfranchised. Bill became an

accomplished woodcarver, leaving prizewinning works treasured by his family and church. With prayer and perseverance, Bill continued to serve God and country. Throughout Bill’s life, family remained paramount, the source of great pride and the beneficiary of great love. Generations have been inspired by his courage, honor, and commitment to the ideals set forth in the Cadet Prayer,

steadfastly maintaining “loyalty to all

that is worthy and noble.”