TUNICA, MS, US
U. S. Army
PFC, 109TH TC, 17TH COMBAT SPT SUSTAINMENT BN, 3RD MEB
09/24/2010, NEAR COP CARWILE, AFGHANISTAN
Army Private First Class William B. Dawson died near COP Carwile, Afghanistan on September 24, 2010 when his military vehicle was attacked with an improvised explosive device. PFC Dawson and another soldier were killed as they traveled between Ghanzi and Bagram Airfield. He was assigned to 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion, 3rd Maneuver Enhancement Brigade, Fort Richardson, Alaska. The unit was supporting Operation Enduring Freedom. PFC Dawson was twenty years old.
PFC Dawson was a motor transport operator who joined the Army in September 2009. He was assigned to Fort Richardson in February 2010. He was the eldest of four sons. His brother, Joseph Dawson, 18, said the family last saw his older brother about four months earlier when he was on leave from Alaska. William Dawson stayed in touch with the family after he arrived in Afghanistan via phone calls and Facebook and he had talked with his mother the day before he died.
William Dawson was a 2009 graduate of Rosa Fort High School in Tunica, Mississippi. He is remembered as a positive and respectful young man who lifted everyone’s spirits. He could often be found driving his grandfather around; and his younger brothers looked up to him recognizing that he was a good soldier. His military service was admired and valued. William Dawson had wanted to be a soldier ever since he was a young boy.
Willie Dawson was skilled at many different things, but made the military his career choice. He was interested in running for elected office. He was also interested in law enforcement and would assist local law enforcement when possible. He is survived by his parents, Rev. Willie Dawson and Quita Dawson, his brothers, family and girlfriend. William Dawson had the full support of his family and a year after his death that unity resulted in the establishment of a scholarship in his name and signage marking his life in Tunica, Mississippi.
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