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American Press
06-05-2025
- General
- American Press
Veterans, family, community gather to honor life, sacrifice of Elton soldier
Sandria Doyle still remembers when her brother, Specialist 4 Albert 'Billy' Sonnier, visited home while in the military and before deploying to Vietnam as an infantryman in 'Charlie' Company of the legendary 1st Cavalry Division. Even as a young girl, Doyle remembers her older brother as a cool, intelligent, quiet spirit with a huge heart. 'I may have been young when he was killed in Vietnam, but I can remember him coming home in that uniform and being so proud to be a soldier, and he always had a gift for me,' she said. Sonnier, a native of Elton and a 1960 graduate of Katie B. Thomas High School in Elton, died during the Battle of Ia Drang Valley at Landing Zone X-Ray in the Vietnam War. A special ceremony to commemorate his service and sacrifice was held Saturday at the First Baptist Church in Jennings. Several veterans of the famous battle, including Medal of Honor recipient retired Army Col. Joe Marm, attended the event to honor Sonnier. The battle, which was an intense conflict of the Vietnam War, was the focus of the book and film 'We Were Soldiers.' Doyle recounted how her brother would write letters home, sharing his experiences and asking for prayers for himself and his fellow soldiers. His final letter indicated he wouldn't be writing for a while but still requested their continued prayers. Soon after, the family received the heartbreaking news of his death. Doyle, who was 10 at the time, remembers the somber visit of two uniformed military personnel who delivered the devastating news to her mother and father. Sonnier had been mortally wounded while defending his position under enemy fire. Notably, all four of Doyle's brothers served their country, with one also being wounded in Vietnam. During the ceremony, Doyle and her sister Joann White, expressed how deeply it meant to have their brother remembered and honored, saying he was truly deserving of such recognition. 'We are here to honor the memory of Albert W. Billy Sonnier, who gave his life in the defense of his country, and in the very real way, we are here to pay tribute to all the men and women who sacrifice so much that we might be free,' former journalist and author Dave Precht said. Precht noted that the 24-year-old soldier's courageous actions were crucial in repelling the enemy attack. 'Billy Sonnier in my research was a dedicated soldier,' said Col. (Ret.) Joey Strickland, former deputy secretary of Louisiana Veterans Affairs and a Vietnam combat veteran. 'A young man who was not only a fighter, but a beacon of hope for his battle buddies, a source of inspiration, amid the turmoil….Sonnier was known by his fellow soldiers for the ability to uplift and energize those around him.' Sonnier was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star for Valor and Purple Heart. The ceremony also paid tribute to Staff Sgt. Thomas J. Barrett, who served as a squad leader with the same company as Sonnier. Barrett grew up in Many, La., only 110 miles from Sonnier's hometown. Despite more than a decade difference in their enlistment dates, both men served in the same battalion, platoon, company, and squad, and tragically, they were killed on the same day in Vietnam. They were also the only two men from Louisiana in Lt. Col. Hal Moore's battalion killed during the Battle of Ia Drang Valley at Landing Zone X-Ray in 1965. Thomas Barrett III, Barrett's son who was only 5 when his father died, shared his experience of growing up with the profound silence of never having known his father. He followed his father's footsteps, becoming an infantryman and officer. 'While many children of veterans grow up hearing stories that were hard to tell, I grew with a different kind of silence, the absence of a voice that was silenced in the Ia Drang Valley on 15th November 1865, exactly seven days after his 34th birthday,' Barrett said. 'My father, like many veterans, answered the call to serve,' he continued. 'The photographs, letters and stories shared by those who fought alongside him have been my only window into knowing who he was. Through your eyes and memories, I pieced together the man who would have raised me, his courage, his loyalty to his brothers in arms and his sense of duty.' Barrett stressed the vital role of those who returned home in keeping the memories of the fallen alive by sharing their stories. 'Each time you share a memory of my father or your brothers who didn't come home, you give us the gift of knowing them a little better,' he said. 'To the families, who like mine, bear the Gold Star, who share a bond forged in sacrifice. Though decades have passed, the cost paid in the Ia Drang Valley remains ever present in our lives.' The memory and legacy of the soldiers of Ia Drang Valley live on not just in military records and history books, but through honoring their lives by striving to live in a way that reflects their sacrifice, he said. During the event, Marm presented members of the 1st Cavalry with special leather-bound copies of the 'We Were Soldiers Once….and Young.'
American Press
27-04-2025
- General
- American Press
Ceremony set to honor Elton native killed in Vietnam War
Specialist 4 Albert 'Billy' Sonnier was killed killed in the infamous Battle of Ia Drang during the Vietnam War. (Special to the American Press) Final preparations are underway for next Saturday's event to honor an Elton native killed in the infamous Battle of Ia Drang during the Vietnam War. A ceremony honoring Specialist 4 Albert 'Billy' Sonnier will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, May 3, at the Vietnam War Memorial at the Louisiana Oil and Gas Park in Jennings. 'We encourage everyone from the area to attend so we can give Spec. 4 Sonnier the honor and respect he deserves for his service and ultimate sacrifice,' organizer John Semmes said. Semmes, a Vietnam veteran and part of a local Vietnam veterans project team, discovered Sonnier's name on the memorial last year and sought out Sonnier's family. This led to locating Sonnier's grave and fundraising for a memorial marker at St. Joseph Catholic Church Cemetery in Elton. Sonnier died Nov. 15, 1965 at the age of 24 during the Battle of Ia Drang at Landing Zone (LZ) X-Ray – one of the most famous battles in the storied history of the 1st Cavalry Division and the first major battle of the Vietnam War. The battle was covered by war correspondent Joe Galloway, who co-authored 'We Were Soldiers Once ….and Young' with retired Lt. Gen. Hal Moore. It was adapted into the 2002 film, 'We Were Soldiers.' Sonnier was a rifleman assigned to Charlie Company, 1st Battalion of the 7th Cavalry, 1st Air Cavalry Division. The company suffered 68 casualties, with 42 killed in action and 26 wounded, from a fighting force of 106 men. Six of the 42 fallen troopers, including Sonnier, posthumously received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for valor. 'This is why the fulfillment of God's purpose sometimes calls for the ultimate sacrifice of our most precious treasure,' then Army Chief of Staff Gen. Harold Johnson wrote in a letter to Sonnier's mother after his death. 'For his gift of life, your son is forever noble among men.' The ceremony is expected to be one of the most historic military events for Southwest Louisiana, according to Semmes. 'It will be a ceremonial event, but will be memorable for those soldiers – all of whom are in their 80s now, and for the young people participating in the ceremony who will get to interface with these soldiers,' Semmes said. 'But we want to make sure this is memorable for everybody and make sure these guys get the recognition they deserve.' Honored guests will include Medal of Honor recipient retired U.S. Army Col. Walter 'Joe' Marm, along with seven other LZ X-Ray veterans, including three Purple Heart recipients. Former Louisiana Veterans Affairs secretary and retired Col. Joey Strickland, who served two tours of combat duty in Vietnam, will be the keynote speaker. Sonnier's sisters, JoAnn White, who was a teenager when he died, and Sandria Doyle, who was 10 at the time, will also be in attendance. Other participants include Sea Cadets from Lake Charles; Daxton Broussard, a student at Iota High School; Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 215 of Kinder; LZ X-Ray veteran Nathan Harvey; Thomas Barrett; Deputy Director of Louisiana's Veterans Affairs Dr. Jerome Buller; Vietnam veteran Wayne Milner; Kenzlie Duhon and Nolan Knight, students at Jennings High School. Several participants will be in Vietnam-era military uniforms. Author Dave Precht, a 1967 graduate of Jennings High School, will deliver two speeches. Precht has authored three books and was heavily involved in two others in the 'Brothers Beyond the Perimeter' series of books based on local Vietnam veterans. He hopes to complete a final book on local Vietnam service personnel by November. 'We are very fortunate that he (Precht) has volunteered his time and talent to make sure all these veterans and their deeds and service are finally getting acknowledged,' Semmes said. A shadow box of Sonnier's service medals will be presented to his sisters. Leather-bound autographed copies of the 'We Were Soldiers' book and special emblems will also be presented to the LZ X-Ray veterans attending the ceremony, which will include music, flag presentation, a three-gun volley, the sounding of 'Taps,' and a Fallen Warrior display.
