There are over 58,000 names on the Vietnam Wall in Washington, D.C.
This is the story of one of them.
Most history books focus on the "main characters" of the past, the famous names that everyone already knows. Andrew Loftesnes, the author
Looking For Billy
, is interested in the role of normal people in the great events of their time - the ones whose names are hidden between paragraphs. The ones who typically do not get books written about them. Their lives and their stories are just as interesting, and they matter just as much.
This book tells the story of one of those people.
In January of 1969 at the age of 19, William Mooers (Billy) was killed in Vietnam while fighting as a U.S. Marine.
In January of 2023, the original KIA letter which the Marine Corps sent to his parents was re-discovered after being hidden away in a dresser drawer.
The author of this book read that letter, and it sparked something.
Sometimes it takes a while for a story to be told - but now this one has.