Denny Washam

U.S. Marine PFC Denny Lee Washam (1947-1968) was a Scott Countian who was killed in action in the Vietnam War on December 8, 1968. He was an uncle to Marine Cpl. Rusty L. Washam, who was killed in action in Iraq in 2006. Another of his nephews, Dustin Washam, was wounded while serving in Iraq.

See Also: Scott Countians killed in war

Early Life

Washam was born November 23, 1947, the son of Earl Washam (1905-1983) and Flossie Wright Washam (1909-1983) of the Norma community.

Following high school, he was drafted into the U.S. Marines and arrived in Vietnam on September 29, 1968. He was assigned to Lima Company, 3rd Battalion, 26th Marine Regiment, 1st Marine Division.

Death

Washam was killed on the 18th day of a 19-day operation entitled Operation Meade River in the Quang Nam Province of South Vietnam. The operation was intended to clear an enemy-infested area called “Dodge City,” 10 miles southwest of the Da Nang airstrip. Washam’s division was assigned to patrol and he saw two of his fellow Marines fall wounded in an exposed area.

The military said that Washam crawled to his comrades’ side under heavy enemy fire and returned them to a safe position. In doing so, however, he was mortally wounded by a sniper.

Washam was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star, the Purple Heart, the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnamese Campaign Medal and the Vietnamese Service Medal.

Washam’s body was returned home to Scott County, and he is buried at Mill Branch Cemetery, where his parents would later be laid to rest.

A Military Family

Washam’s brother, Sonny Washam, served 24 years in the military before retiring as a master sergeant in the U.S. Army.

Washam’s nephew, Marine Cpl. Rusty Washam, was killed in action in Iraq in 2006. Another of his nephews, Dustin Washam, was wounded in Iraq in 2005.