William L. McMillan III

Died: July 8, 2008

Rank: Specialist

Unit: 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division

Branch: U.S. Army

Specialist William “Bill” McMillan was serving in Abu Ghraib, Iraq, when he gave his life for his country on July 8, 2008. He was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 21st Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. He died 12 hours after an improvised explosive device struck the vehicle in which he was riding. Funeral services were held for the 22-year-old Army medic at Southland Christian Church on July 19, 2008, with burial at the Camp Nelson National Cemetery in Nicholasville, Kentucky. A horse-drawn caisson carried the flag-draped casket, shadowed by a riderless horse, Bill’s family, and a bagpiper who rendered the hymn “Amazing Grace.” The 25th Infantry Honor Guard attended as well. Overhead, on that bright summer day, a constellation of Army Black Hawk helicopters performed a flyover.