William Howard Dabney (September 28, 1934 – February 15, 2012) was a colonel in the United States Marine Corps. He was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism in the Vietnam War. He also served as the Commandant of Cadets at Virginia Military Institute (VMI) from 1989 to 1990.

Biography Dabney was born as William Wagner in Saint John is written out in full so that it will not be confused with St John's Newfoundland Saint John New Brunswick, Canada on September 28, 1934, to Victor William Wagner (1894–1972) and Mary Hennessey Wagner (1902–1990).US Consular Report of Births, 1910-1949, digital images, Ancestry.ca. http://search.ancestry.ca/cgi-bin/sse.dll?=Consular Repo. Retrieved 20 May 2013. Shows that Victor William Wagner and Mary Elizabeth Hennessey were married in Santiago, Chile on October 29, 1929 and also gives the date of birth of their daughter, Martha Wagner, at Saint John, New Brunswick on February 24, 1933.The Miami News, Miami, 3 June 1972. Retrieved May 20, 2013. This link was on Google newspapers archive but the link was taken away on November 18, 2015 and the newspaper itself has ceased publication. Wagner - Victor William Wagner survived by a daughter Martha Leclere, Williamsburg, Virginia and a son, Major William Dabney, US marines, Fairfax, Virginia. His mother remarried Hugh Keane Dabney (1893-1972) on May 5, 1945, in Henrico Co., Virginia and his surname was changed to Dabney.Virginia, marriage records, 1936-2014, digital images, Virginia Department of Health, Richmond, Virginia. Ancestry.ca. http://search.ancestry.ca/search/db.aspx? dbid=9279& geo. Accessed January 7, 2017 He was raised in The Republic of Panama and in Gloucester County, Virginia, graduating from Christchurch School in Middlesex County, Virginia in 1953. He attended Yale University 1953–54, then enlisted in the USMC, and later graduated from Virginia Military Institute in 1961 and was an initiate of the Beta Commission of Kappa Alpha Order. In that same year, Dabney married Virginia McCandlish Puller, daughter of Lieutenant General Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller in September 1961. U.S. Marine Corps He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) in 1954. He was discharged with the rank of sergeant and enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve (USMCR) in 1957. He attended Virginia Military Institute (VMI), graduating in 1961. He was commissioned in the Marine Corps in 1960. He was married to Virginia McCandlish Puller in September 1961. She was the daughter of the legendary Marine Corps general, Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller.HMM-364.org – Military Biography

Vietnam Dabney served two tours of duty in South Vietnam (RVN) during the Vietnam War. On his first tour from 1967 to 1968, he was in command of India Company, 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines, stationed on Hill 881 South during the Battle of Khe Sanh. Dabney was awarded the Silver Star for action on January 20, 1968, on Hill 881 South. In 2005, Dabney was awarded the Navy Cross for his actions on Hill 881 South from January 21 to April 14, 1968. He also received a Bronze Star Medal and a Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross for actions during that same time period. On his second tour from 1970 to 1971, he was a senior adviser for a Vietnamese Marine infantry battalion, Khe Sanh, South Vietnam. Dabney was awarded a second Bronze Star, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, a Purple Heart Medal, and a second RVN Gallantry Cross. Dabney was also a central character in Kenton Michael’s Historical Fiction 1968.

Post-Vietnam He received the Defense Meritorious Service Medal during his service as Chief of the Combat Operations Center, National Emergency Airborne Command Post, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska, 1980–1981.

He received the Legion of Merit while serving as Commanding Officer, Headquarters Battalion, Headquarters, Marine Corps, Henderson Hall which is now is part of Joint Base Myer–Henderson Hall, 1984–1987.

He also served as the Commandant of Cadets at Virginia Military Institute from 1989 to 1990 and was the Commanding Officer of VMI's NROTC Unit from 1987 to 1990. Dabney retired June 30, 1990.

Death Dabney died February 15, 2012, at his home, Mackey’s Tavern,Obituary, Virginia Mccandlish Puller Dabney, Tharp Funeral Home, Lynchburg, Virginia. https://obituaries.tharpfuneralhome.com/virginia-mccandlish-puller-dabney. Accessed December 19, 2024 in Lexington, Virginia.

Dabney's experiences are the basis for the central character, Captain Dabney, commanding officer on Hill 881 near Khe Sanh during the siege of Khe Sanh in the Historical Fiction novel titled "1968" by Kenton Michael.

Awards and decorations Dabneys' decorations and medals include:

Navy CrossSilver StarLegion of Merit with one gold award starBronze Star Medal with Combat "V", one gold award starPurple HeartGood Conduct MedalNavy Commendation Medalwith Combat V and award starJoint Meritorious Unit Award with oak leaf clusterNavy Unit Commendation with one bronze service starNavy Meritorious Unit CommendationNational Defense Service Medal with service starArmed Forces Expeditionary MedalJoint Service Achievement MedalUnited States Navy Presidential Unit Citation ribbon with service starVietnam Service MedalVietnam Civil Actions Unit Citation with palmVietnam Campaign Medal with 60-Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with one silver starVietnam Staff Service Medal ribbon-First classVietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal-First ClassVietnamese Gallantry Cross with palm unit awardsSea Service Deployment Ribbon

See also List of Navy Cross recipients for the Vietnam War

References

External links Navy Cross Citation and Silver Star synopsis HMM-364.org – Military Biography Legacy.com – Obituary Military.com – Leatherneck: Hill 881 South by R. R. Keene VMI, TAPS – Two Former Commandants Pass This Week