Fayetteville Man Killed by Sniper in South Vietnam
Marine Cpl. Howard Hugh Withey, 19, of Fayetteville, was killed June 6 when shot by a sniper while on patrol near Khe Sanh in South Vietnam. He was attached to Co. A of the 3rd Reconaissance Battalion, third Marine Division and had been in Vietnam about eight months.
He was born Nov. 9, 1947, at San Diego, Calif., and was a 1965 graduate of Fayetteville High School and attend the University of Arkansas before joining the Marine Corps 18 months ago.
Survivors are his parents, Capt. Charles H. and Pauline Jacks Withey of Fayetteville and his maternal grandmother, Mrs. Thomas Hugh Jacks of Little Rock.
The body is being returned to Fayetteville for funeral services which will be announced by Watson Mortuary.
— Northwest Arkansas Times, June 9, 1967, page 1
Advice From War Victim in Vietnam
NWAT TIMES EDITOR’S NOTE: The following letter was received at the Fayetteville High School addressed to the Student Body on June 13. Since the students have been dismissed for summer vacation the school officials wish to take this means of sharing the following letter written by Howard H. Withey, a 1965 Fayetteville High School graduate who was killed in action in Vietnam on June 6, 1967.
February 3, 1967
PHU-BAI
R.V.N.
Members of the Student Body,
At the receipt of this letter, I will have been dead nearly two weeks. I will have been killed in Vietnam.
Since I joined the Marine Corps I have learned many things. Things many people never learn till late in life, things some people never learn. I have learned tolerance. I try to recognize people’s good points rather than their shortcomings.
I have learned that a little bit of kindness will accomplish so much more than trying to badger someone. I’m sure it would amaze many people to note the response of the poor iin Asia to a small act of kindness. The simple thing of putting iodine on a child’s cut, or giving someone a cigarette, a piece of gum, or a C-ration, would bring out a whole family overflowing with generosity. I have eaten and slept with families so poor they could only afford two spoons for a family of eight, living in a two room thatched hut.
I have learned respect for my comrades-in-arms, my enemy, the elderes who have offered the wisdom they have obtained through their mistakes. My respect for teachers has increased. Listen and learn what they have to offer you. They offer you an even better life than you have now. Even the poorest American is rich compared to most Asians. The average income here is probably less than 300 dollars a year.
Of course there is an exception to everything. We, who have fought and those who are still fighting, cannot, and will not condone the draft-dodgers, card burners, and anti-war fools we constantly hear about. They constantly say we have no right and no busines in Vietnam. We have every right, and it is our business. The peopleof Vietnam need and want us. They have carried the burden of this war for many years and need assistance. The atrocities committed by the Viet Cong are many. They force people into their ranks by threatening their families. All the South Vietnamese want is to be left alone. To do it, they must fight the communists. They have lived under communism, and don’t want it.
The Armed Forces in Vietnam have been and are bringing up the health and economic standards of the Vietnamese. Our doctors and corpsmen are fighting disease with overwhelming success. The common soldier is, by kindness, help, and respect, winning the friendship of all the people.
There is also a selfish side to our actions. If we don’t stop communism here, it will soon take over all of Asia. It will spread to Africa and South America. Soon we will be the only stalwart of freedom in the world. Then we will perish.
We cannot and will not leave Vietnam. For our sake, and the sake of the Vietnamese we can’t. It is up to you to see that we don’t. Write your congressmen and let them know of your support and above all, let use here in Vietnam know it. It is disheartening to realize that some people are condemning us for our participation here.
May God protect you, us, and our country.
Sincerely,
Howard H. Withey
Lance Corporal
U.S.M.C.
— Northwest Arkansas Times, June 24, 1967, page 6
Howard Hugh Withey, who was a radio telegraph operator for A Company, is buried at the Fayetteville National Cemetery, and his name is engraved on the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial in Washington, D.C., on Panel 21e, Line 64.