WILLIAM A. STUVER, MAJ, USMC
William Stuver '77
Lucky Bag
From the 1977 Lucky Bag:
WILLIAM STUVER
Country Club Hills, Illinois
"BILLY BOY"
On a hot balmy day in July of ’73 William "Billy Boy" Stuver blew in from the Windy City with a sweet little honey wrap-around. As we all know honey sticks to ya, and she has stuck to him ever since. Billy Boy holds his liquor well, as long as it is in a mug, but let him get any in his stomach, keep the rascal outta the Head . . . Toilet Bowls are very expensive . . . just ask the plumber! Of course, Drinkin’ isn’t Billy Boy’s favorite hobby. If he’s not watching the tube, just turn on the C.B. and "Break Channel Seven." Ask for the One Armed Bandit He’ll come back to ya. The Naval Academy Base Station is his baby, ya need to know anything about C.B.’s? . . . Just ask Billy Boy. One thing to remember . . . If you happen to be monitoring the Primary Tactical Frequency for the task force, and the speaker crackles and sputters: "Break 19" think of your good buddy, Billy Boy Bandit Stuver.
WILLIAM STUVER
Country Club Hills, Illinois
"BILLY BOY"
On a hot balmy day in July of ’73 William "Billy Boy" Stuver blew in from the Windy City with a sweet little honey wrap-around. As we all know honey sticks to ya, and she has stuck to him ever since. Billy Boy holds his liquor well, as long as it is in a mug, but let him get any in his stomach, keep the rascal outta the Head . . . Toilet Bowls are very expensive . . . just ask the plumber! Of course, Drinkin’ isn’t Billy Boy’s favorite hobby. If he’s not watching the tube, just turn on the C.B. and "Break Channel Seven." Ask for the One Armed Bandit He’ll come back to ya. The Naval Academy Base Station is his baby, ya need to know anything about C.B.’s? . . . Just ask Billy Boy. One thing to remember . . . If you happen to be monitoring the Primary Tactical Frequency for the task force, and the speaker crackles and sputters: "Break 19" think of your good buddy, Billy Boy Bandit Stuver.
Loss
William was lost on October 25, 1988 when the helicopter he was aboard collided with another and then crashed near Yuma, Arizona.
Other Information
From the AP News Archive, originally posted October 27, 1988:
GILA BEND, Ariz. (AP) _ Two Marine Corps helicopters probably collided before each crashed, killing nine Marines and one Air Force officer while on a desert training mission, Marine officials said today. "We feel confident enough to say a midair collision was more than likely," said Gunnery Sgt. Hal Wheeler, a spokesman at the Marine Corps Air Station at Yuma.
Wheeler said the two helicopters that crashed Tuesday night - a Boeing CH- 46 and a Bell UH-1N - flew from the Yuma base but neither were actually stationed there. The CH-46 was from the Marine Corps Air Station in New River, N.C., and the UH-1N was from Camp Pendleton, Calif., he said.
Wheeler also said that, though spokesmen initially said four men were aboard the CH-46 and six aboard the UH-1N, there was uncertainty about the actual distribution of the men between the two aircraft. The crash site about 16 miles southeast of here, on the Goldwater Air Force Range, was in an area so rough that four-wheel-drive vehicles had trouble reaching it, said 1st Lt. Mary Baldwin, public affairs officer at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma.
The last body was not recovered until late Wednesday afternoon, said Baldwin. The men were participating in the final training exercise of a weapons-and-tactics instructors' training course taught twice a year at the Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma, 125 miles southwest of the crash site. The course is an advanced program in battle tactics, including moving personnel from place to place, rescuing wounded and countering enemy weapons and aircraft.
…
The identify of one Marine killed Tuesday was being withheld pending notification of next of kin.
But the Marine Corp Air Station in Yuma identified the others as Maj. William C. Walker III, 35, of Clinton, Mo.; Capt. Steven T. Andrews, 36, of Cincinnati; Capt. Herbert L. Heyl Jr., 33, of Middlesex, N.J.; Cpl. Henry J. Horvath, 24, of Beallsville, Ohio; Capt. Kenneth L. Royal, 28, of Chattanooga, Tenn.; Cpl. Alan J. O'Neil, 20, Fort Atkinson, Wis.; Capt. William A. Stuver, 34, of Chicago; and Cpl. Donald L. Waid, no age or hometown available, stationed at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
Also killed was Air Force Capt. Timothy J. Kitt, no age or hometown available, a helicopter instructor stationed at Luke Air Force Base west of Phoenix.
William is interred at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery.
Obituary
From the January/February 1989 issue of Shipmate:
Maj. William Allen Stuver USMC died on 25 October 1988 in an aircraft accident at Yuma, Arizona. His remains were cremated and are held at Saint Anne's Church, Jacksonville, North Carolina.
Born in Chicago, Illinois and raised in Country Club Hills, he entered the Academy in July 1973. Bill was a member of 25th company and was active in the Glee Club and Protestant Chapel Choir. Upon graduation in June of 1977, he reported to The Basic School and subsequently continued on to Pensacola for flight training. On 8 June 1979 he was promoted to first lieutenant and designated a Naval Aviator.
Having reported to 2D Marine Air Wing, Maj. Stover joined HMH-362 and later HMM-263. While with 263, he made several major deployments. Following the tour with HMM-263, he served with First Battalion Fourth Marines in Twenty-nine Palms, California. Again Maj. Stover returned to 2DMAW and served with HMT-204 and was with HMM-264 at the Weapons and Tactics Course at the time of his death. He was promoted to his current rank posthumously.
He was active in the Boy Scouts and was himself an Eagle Scout. He is survived by his wife, Janice, and his children Christine and Adam. Memorial donations maybe made to the Naval Academy Class of 1977 Fund, c/o Alumni House, Annapolis, Md. 21402.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
