This Military Service Page was created/owned by
Tommy Burgdorf (Birddog), FC2
to remember
Roark, William Marshall, LT.
If you knew or served with this Sailor and have additional information or photos to support this Page, please leave a message for the Page Administrator(s) HERE.
Casualty Info
Home Town Bellevue, NE
Last Address Bellevue, NE
Casualty Date Apr 07, 1965
Cause KIA-Killed in Action
Reason Air Loss, Crash - Sea
Location Vietnam, North (Vietnam)
Conflict Vietnam War
Location of Interment Evergreen Memorial Park Cemetery - Omaha, Nebraska
In Omaha, Nebraska, Central High School will honor Lieutenant William Marshall Roark, USN, on 7 October, 2004 with his induction to its’ Hall of Fame. LT Roark was killed in action attacking targets near Dong Hoi, North Vietnam as pilot of a Navy A-4C Skyhawk jet of Attack Squadron 153. He was flying from the Aircraft carrier USS Coral Sea on April 7, 1965, while on his second deployment to the Vietnam conflict. Roark had served as cadet colonel and commanding officer of Central High School JROTC regiment and graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1960. For his heroism in combat, he was awarded the Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross.
The Destroyer/ Frigate USS Roark (FF-1053) was named in his honor in 1967. A plaque on the USS Roark quotes from a letter Lt. Roark sent his wife. “I don’t want my sons to fight a war I should have fought. I wish more Americans felt that way. I will not live in a totalitarian society and I don’t want you to, either. I believe in God and will resist any force that attempts to remove God from society, no matter what the name. This is what the Founding Fathers stood for.”
Provided by his son, LCDR Bill Roark.
