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A3C Michael S. Bell (Unit Historian)
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Stockwell, William J., Brig Gen.
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Contact Info
Home Town Hartford
Last Address Old Lyme, CT
Date of Passing Jun 16, 2011
Location of Interment Arlington National Cemetery (VLM) - Arlington, Virginia
Brigadier General William J. Stockwell, United States Air Force Reserve (Ret) - 71 - passed away on June 16, 2011.
Born July 18, 1939 in Hartford, CT, he is predeceased by his parents David and Leota (Simmons) Stockwell and his beloved niece Jennifer Joyce. BG Stockwell is survived by his loving children Laura (Stockwell) Norwood of Canton, MA, David R. Stockwell of San Francisco, CA, their mother Karen (Ten Eyck) Stockwell of Bloomfield, CT, two grandchildren Jack Liam Norwood and Katherine Ten Eyck Norwood, his two sisters, Patricia Kallio of Norfolk, MA and Barbara Stockwell of Valrico, FL, as well as 10 nieces and nephews.
Bill graduated from William H. Hall High School in West Hartford, CT in 1957. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Connecticut in 1961 and a Master's degree in finance from the University of Hartford in 1976. In high school and college, Bill excelled as a member of the football team and chorale. During his senior year of high school, he performed the lead in West Hartford's production of "Carousel," which instilled in him his lifelong love of singing and music.
His military education includes Air Command Staff College (1978) and the National Security Management Course (1983). Bill began his military career in 1961 when he joined the United States Marine Corps. He was commissioned a second lieutenant following graduation from the Platoon Leaders Course at Quantico, VA in 1962. He was assigned to the Naval Flight School at Pensacola, FL, and received his naval pilot wings following advanced jet training at Beeville, TX in 1963. From January 1964 through February 1965, he was assigned to the 3rd Marine Air Wing at the Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS), El Toro, CA, where he flew F8U Crusaders and F4B Phantom jets. Bill was assigned to Da Nang, Republic of Vietnam, as part of the 1st Marine Air Wing in 1965, and flew 110 combat missions in the F4B with All-Weather Fighter Attack Squadrons. He joined the 2nd Marine Wing at the MCAS, Beaufort, SC, as operations officer and flight instructor in 1966, where he also participated in the conversion of a jet fighter attack group from the F8U to the F4B aircraft. He joined the 104th Tactical Fighter Group (TFG), Massachusetts Air National Guard in 1970 and flew T-33 and F-100/F aircraft. In 1972, he transferred to the 103rd TFG, Connecticut Air National Guard and was appointed Chief of Staff in 1987. The General was a command pilot with over 3,500 jet fighter hours in the F8U, F4B and A-10. Bill's military decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal with six oak leaf clusters, Navy Commendation Medal with V for valor, Air Force Outstanding Unit Citation with one oak leaf cluster, Combat Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Air Force Longevity with one device, Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal, and the Navy Unit Citation.
In addition to his military career Bill was a successful businessman working in the financial services industry, retiring as a senior vice president from Society for Savings. His civic affiliations included the Governor's Military Staff; Leadership of Greater Hartford, an association for leading businessmen in the greater Hartford area; the Hartford Housing Task Force; and the Hartford Philharmonic Society. He was affiliated with the West Hartford Rotary Club and the West Hartford Chamber of Commerce where he served as treasurer during his tenure.
Bill was a life-long resident of Connecticut residing in West Hartford and Old Lyme. He enjoyed spending time with his children, taking part in a variety of activities including camping, hiking, hunting, snow and water skiing, fishing, and traveling. He particularly enjoyed his time in Old Lyme with his grandchildren making sandcastles, playing guitar, crabbing and eating ice cream. Bill was an avid reader and singer. As a member of the Hartford Symphony Chorale and Cappella Cantorum, Bill spent many winters performing in concerts around the region. In particular, much time and love was spent performing Mozart's Requiem. As a baritone for these groups, Bill sang at Carnegie Hall, a notable accomplishment he rarely mentioned. Bill loved the outdoors, and spent many weeks over numerous summers at Great Gull Island, recording the nesting and hatching habits of the sea birds that migrate there. He enjoyed gardening and planting, painting and walking around the shoreline area.
A service will be held at 10:30 a.m. at Christ the King Church, 1 McCurdy Road, Old Lyme, CT on Friday, June 24th. Family and friends are invited to join the family at their home in Old Lyme at 19 White Sand Beach Road immediately following the services.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that we remember Bill in a special way by donating in his name to the Disabled American Veterans, P.O. Box 14301, Cincinnati, OH 45250-0301, Attn: Gift Processing (memorial donations can also be made on-line at www.dav.org) or the Alzheimer's Foundation of America, 322 Eighth Avenue, 7th floor, New York, NY 10001.
Published in The Hartford Courant on June 22, 2011
Vietnam War/Defense Campaign (1965)
From Month/Year
March / 1965
To Month/Year
December / 1965
Description This period was from March 2, 1965-January 30, 1966.
On June 29. I966. the USAF bombed petroleum storage and distribution facilities for the first time in the immediate vicinity of Hanoi and Haiphong, after political leaders authorized limited and specific strikes within the buffer zones for these cities. Gen. William W. Momyer replaced General Moore as Seventh Air Force Commander on July l. The United States expanded the Rotuwo Tittmou campaign as of July 9 to include petroleum targets in the northeast and rail lines and highways between China and Hanoi. although the buffer zone on the border limited targets. American aircraft also flew armed reconnaissance over North Vietnam.
On July 30. 1966. the USAF bombed targets in the dernilitariaed zone (DMZ) to counter the build-up of North Vietnamese forces there. By September the U.S. air campaign against North Vietnam had destroyed or damaged two-thirds of the enemy's petroleum storage capacity. several thousand trucks and watercraft. hundreds of rail cars and bridges. and numerous ammunition and supply storage areas. Beginning on February 14. I967. USAF aircraft hit additional strategic targets in North Vietnam, knocking out major power plants. and railyard repair facilities. But these results had little effect on the enemy's ability to carry on the war. because the country possessed only a small industrial base and imported most of its military materiel. In the face of extensive air attacks. North Vietnam further strengthened it's air defenses. By January 1967, the United States had lost 45 aircraft within 2 years. Anti-aircraft guns and SAMs accounted for most of the losses. but MiGs continued to challenge U.S. air strikes.
On January 2 the Seventh Air Force enticed a large MiG-2| force over North Vietnam into battle against F-4s. The USAF pilots destroyed 7 MiGs within 12 minutes without a loss. Four days later. On January 6. the Seventh destroyed 2 more MiGs. and the North Vietnamese temporarily abandoned aerial combat to regroup and retrain. In South Vietnam Allied forces continued search and destroy operations. blunting new Viet Cong and North Vietnamese offensives. Between July 14 and August 4, 1966. U.S. Marines and South Vietnamese troops battled North Vietnam Army forces near Quang Tri. 20 miles south of the DMZ. Later. between October I5 and November 26. the Allies engaged in a major battle with Viet Cong and NVA forces northwest of Tay Ninh. near the Cambodian border. 60 miles northwest of Saigon. Enemy resistance was light at first. but on November 4. as ARVN and U.S. troops approached storage areas, the Viet Cong and NVA counterattaclted. The Allies responded by airlifting more troops. including elements of the U.S. Army’s 1st. 4th, and 25th Infantry Divisions. and the l73rd Airborne Brigade. The USAF provided close air suppon. and between November 8 and 25. B-52s bombed targets in the area. The Allies drove the enemy from the region temporarily. seizing weapons. ammunition. food. and other supplies that the Communist forces left behind.
The next year. between Febmary and May I967, U.S. Army units joined ARVN forces to retum to Tay Ninh Province, about $0 miles north of Saigon and 15 miles northeast of Tay Ninh. Seventh Air Force C-l30s drtmped American paratroopers near the Cambodian border to cut off the Viet Cong retreat. The airlifters also flew reinforcements and supplies to the ground troops during this operation. With the help of forward air controllers flying O-1s. Air Force F-I00 and F-4 pilots provided close air support. and AC-47 gunship crews illuminated targets and conducted air strikes at night. Again, the enemy withdrew into Cambodia. leaving behind weapons. supplies. and ammunition.
In the panhandle of Laos, the USAF pounded enemy forces on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. while in northem Laos U.S. pilots supported Allied forces under attack. By August 1966 Laotian troops fighting Pathet Lao insurgents had advanced. with the aid of U.S. close air support. to Nam Bac. only 45 miles west of the North Vietnamese border and about 55 miles northeast of Luang Prabang. an ancient city on the Mekong River some 130 miles north of Vientiane. The Laotian gains were short lived, however, and by February 2. I967. the insurgents had regained lost territory and were in a position to attack the airfield at Luang Prabang.
