The people of the Vineyard were bowed in sorrow and sympathy this week for Mr. and Mrs. William F. Hagerty of Vineyard Haven, who have been officially notified that their son, Sgt. William T. Hagerty, a medical corpsman with the 173rd Airborne, was killed in action on Nov. 20 in the assault on Hill 875 in Vietnam.

 

Sergeant Hagerty had been wounded earlier in the month. He wrote to his parents on the 13th, telling them of his injury and his expectation of being returned to duty shortly in the same area where he was hit in the shoulder by a piece of shrapnel. The assault on the hill continued, with the action intensified, according to newspaper reports from the area, and as of the 20th of the month, Sergeant Hagerty was officially reported as missing in action. This week, after a painful period of waiting for further news, pwehaps of his capture by the enemy, the final word came.

 

 

In his 21st year, Sergeant Hagerty was a native of Vineyard Haven and a graduate of the Regional High School. He had worked with his father in the express business until he enlisted in 1964. He was trained in the Medical Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, and assigned to duty in Vietnam in August of this year.

 

Accompanying his paratrooper unit, his duty was to assist the wounded and help in removing them from the field.

 

On the Vineyard he was a popular young man.

 

Surviving him are his parents, three sisters and a younger brother.

 

 

Mr. and Mrs. William F. Hagerty of Vineyard Haven have been notified of the posthumous award of the Bronze Star medal to their son, Sgt. William T. Hagerty. The medal awarded for heroism will be presented to them shortly by a representative of the Army high command.

 

Sergeant Hagerty, a medical paratrooper, fell mortally wounded at Dak To, Vietnam, on Nov. 19, 1967.

 

The citation relates that Sergeant Hagerty’s company encountered an enemy force of regimental size and action opened at once. Sergeant Hagerty exposed himself to heavy fire continuously  as he attempted to reach the wounded. He received his mortal wound while attempting to save the life of his platoon leader, this in keeping with the highest tradition of the military service and reflecting great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.

 

Sergeant Hagerty’s career was outstanding from the days of his training, and he received the high proficiency trophy, an impressive bronze and marble statuette, in recognition of his achievement, out of a group of graduates numbering 260 men.

 

The memorial trophy established at the Regional High School, for the most valuable football player of the year, was the inspiration of classmates, friends and relatives who had followed Sergeant Hagerty’s record from boyhood. Contributions for this trophy are being received by G.I. Dolby, of Vineyard Haven. It is the hope of the sponsors that the fund may reach an amount which will yield sufficient income to make this trophy permanent.