by Colleen McCarty, Investigative Reporter
"You develop these relationships with the men closest to you," said Vietnam Veteran Allen "Doc" Hoe.
William Skivington or "Skip" as everybody called him graduated from Western High School and he went on to college in Idaho. But in 1967 the Vietnam War weighed heavily on his studies.
"And when I got there the Air Force staff car was out front and the officer came in and he explained that he was listed as missing in action."
The Vietnam War ended more than 30 years ago, but for many AmericansÊit's not over. Eight Nevadans never made it back from the jungle, including three from Las Vegas. For their families, the wounds of that divisive war have yet to heal.
William Skivington or "Skip" as everybody called him graduated from Western High School and he went on to college in Idaho. But in 1967 the Vietnam War weighed heavily on his studies. Rather than wait for the draft, he signed up and shipped out in early 1968.
Between the seconds of sheer terror and the days and days of boredom the two men forged an unlikely friendship in the jungles of South Vietnam.
"You develop these relationships with the men closest to you," said Vietnam Veteran Allen "Doc" Hoe.Ê
Private First Class William "Skip" Skivington joined the 196th Light Infantry BrigadeÊin early 1968.
"When he first got there, he was like a sponge," Hoe said.Ê"He wanted to soak it all up."ÊSkivington served as radio operator and Hoe as medic. Their duties made constant companions of the kid from Las Vegas and the 21-year-old man from Honolulu.
"As the radio operator, you were kind of tied to the Lieutenant,"ÊHoe explained.Ê"So he always stood on the right hand side of the lieutenant. I always stood on the left side of the lieutenant."
Mother's Day 1968 found skip on the right butÊHoe absent from the left. He waited for a transport back to his unit after a little rest and relaxation as North Vietnamese soldiers over ran his brigade near the Kham Duc Special Forces camp.Ê
"The last radio communication was the lieutenant telling the battalion headquarters that they were shooting them as they came through the door and then the radio went silent.ÊSeventeen men died that day and anotherÊeight went missing, including Skivington.
His father, Bill "Skip" Skivington Sr. got the phone call at work at the Nevada Test Site.Ê
"I knew there was something drastic," Skivington's father said.Ê"I made it in record time. I don't even remember driving those 100 miles. And when I got there the Air Force staff car was out front and the officer came in and he explained that he was listed as missing in action. I stayed home the rest of the day. We comforted each other, convinced ourselves he was a prisoner, he was ok."
That belief sustained the Skivington's and their surrogate son Hoe. Until months without word, became years and then became decades, with no trace of Skip.
"I cannot even begin to understand as a soldier what bill has gone through not knowing all these years, that would kill me, that would kill me," Hoe explained.Ê
Determined to leave no man behind,ÊHoeÊhas pushed the joint POW/MIA accounting command to make the site at Kham Duc a priority. J-PAC, the military team that searches for missing soldiers, left for South Vietnam for a fourth time early this year.
Hoe continued. "I got a call from one of the heads and he said 'Doc, we found skip's high school ring last night.' Talk about strange Colleen, it's meant to be, what else. We found skip's high school ring. It was found with some remains and with his id tag, his wallet, along with the personal effects of our Lieutenant."
Pfc.ÊSkivington was located not far from his post as radio operator and to the right of his Lieutenant.Ê
"I was convinced he wouldn't be there," saidÊthe senior Skivington.ÊFor Bill, the discovery is difficult to describe.Ê
Skivington Sr. added. "It was a relief in some ways, in another way it was a let down. But I knew it was going to happen sooner or later."
However, for Hoe the find fulfills a soldier's duty to his once constant companion
"IÊwon't say it's overdue, but it's been a while, it's been a long while," HoeÊsaid.Ê"It's been several lifetimes."Ê
ÊNow,ÊJ-PAC acknowledges it has recovered personal effects and remains from several of the missing soldiers, including Skip. All evidence will be transferred to a military lab for analysis.ÊHoe and Bill Sr. are hopeful they may soon bury Skip with full honors at Arlington NationalÊCemetery.
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