|
William Frederick Simpson, Jr. was born in Kinston, North
Carolina on January 24, 1945 to William F. Simpson, Sr. and Geraldine S.
Simpson.
After graduating from Pink
Hill High
School in 1963 he attended the UNC-Chapel Hill
graduating in 1967 with an A.B. in Political Science. Shortly
thereafter he joined the United States Marine Corps and reported to Quantico,
Va. for Officers
Candidate School.
Upon completion of OCS he was commissioned a 2nd
Lieutenant and assigned to the Basic
School for further
training with the Class of 8-68. After completion of the Basic
School curriculum he was granted a
30-day leave and received orders assigning him to duty with the 9th Marine
Amphibious Brigade headquartered in Okinawa,
Japan.
Within two weeks of his arrival in Okinawa he received
orders to report to the Third Marine Division headquartered in Dong Ha, Vietnam.
He was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, Twenty-Sixth Marines as a
rifle company platoon commander with “Mike” Company and subsequently with “Lima”
Company.
His tour of duty while in Vietnam
included combat action against the Viet Cong and the North Vietnamese army, a
short stint as Asst. S-1 with battalion headquarters and Executive officer of
Battalion Headquarters and Service Company. He was later transferred
back to Okinawa as Executive Officer of
Headquarters and Service Company, 9th Marine Amphibious Brigade.
While serving in Viet
Nam he received the following
decorations: Bronze Star Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device, Navy
Commendation Medal with Combat Distinguishing Device, USMC Combat Action
Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal with 1960
device, Vietnamese Service Medal with three campaign stars and Vietnamese
Cross of Gallantry with palm and frame.
Upon completion of his tour of duty in Vietnam
he was assigned to “C” Company, 1St. Battalion, 8th
Marines, 2nd Marine Division and stationed at Camp
LeJeune, North Carolina
as Executive Officer. He then was deployed to the Mediterranean
with Battalion Land Team 1/8 for a period of six months. While deployed
he was made Company Commander of “C” Company and served in that capacity
until he was released from active duty in December, 1970 with the rank of 1st
Lieutenant. He received an Honorable Discharge from the Corps with the
rank of Captain on October 9, 1974.
After being released from active duty, he knocked around
the United States
for approximately two years before entering Oklahoma City University School
of Law in 1972 and graduated with his J.D. degree in February 1975. He
returned to Lenoir
County after graduation
to open his law practice. He continues to practice law today but at a
more leisurely pace.
His father, William F. Simpson, Sr. served in WW II with
the United States Navy as a naval aviator and his son, Sgt. William F.
Simpson, III served two tours in Iraq
with the United States Army.
|
