Remember...
Joseph Stanley McKinney
1947-1968
"Bravery is not the absence of fear, but the action in the face of fear."
Mark Messier
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Remember...Joseph Stanley McKinney
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Joseph Stanley McKinney was born on July 20, 1947, in Herndon, Wyoming County, West Virginia to Clebern McKinney (1922-1983) and Floria Graham McKinney (1920-1995). He had one brother, Darrel Haden McKinney, and he and his family were part of the Baptist church.
Herndon was a small farm town that eventually grew into larger suburb. It was still a relatively small town at the time Joseph lived there. At this time in West Virginia, the coal industry was beginning to improve and the population was growing. Shortly before he was born, tensions between Russia and America grew high and the Cold War began. Along with this, the Korean War had also started when he was three years old. This means he grew up through two major wars, then later fought in one himself. A year after he graduated from Herndon High School in 1966, he was drafted into the Army on June 7, 1967.
The Cold War was the result of the spread of communism. [For more information on this topic, see "The Cold War and the Korean War," History.com website, 17 June 2010, updated 19 January 2023, accessed 24 March 2023, https://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/1950s.] The concern over the spread of communism eventually led to the Vietnam War. Vietnam split into two separate nations, North Vietnam and South Vietnam. North Vietnam wanted to reunite the two parts under communism. South Vietnam fought back to prevent this from happening. The U.S. was heavily against communism, so they joined to cease the spread. They also feared that North Vietnam would invade other countries in Asia after South Vietnam, eventually contaminating the entire continent with communism. The war lasted from November 1, 1955, to April 30, 1975.
On March 8, 1965, President Lyndon B. Johnson announced the intent of the U.S. to enter the Vietnam War. On the same day, 3,500 Marines arrived in Da Nang to protect a U.S. air base. The need for more troops in Vietnam caused the escalation of the draft in 1965. ("The 1960s History," History.com website, 25 May 2010, updated 26 January 2023, accessed 24 March 2023, https://www.history.com/topics/1960s/1960s-history.)
After Joseph graduated from Herndon High School, he was drafted into the Army on June 7, 1967, due to selective service. Joseph had a military occupation skill (MOS) of 11B: infantryman. His rank was private first class. After his initial training, Pfc. McKinney was sent to Vietnam on November 8, 1967. He was assigned to C Company, 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division, U.S. Army Republic of Vietnam. The 4th Infantry Division was known as the "Ivy" Division, and its insignia contained ivy leaves [note that the Roman numeral for four is IV]. They were assigned the largest area of operations and tasked with watching the border of South Vietnam. They were the first line of defense against infiltration down the Ho Chi Minh trail through Laos and Cambodia into the Kon Tum Province of South Vietnam. According to a posting by Melissa Gill in the "Remembrances" section of the Wall of Faces of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, during his deployment, Joseph learned that he would have a niece in April. So he had sent a purple outfit for her from Vietnam to her mother after he learned she was on the way. (Accessed 24 March 2023, https://www.vvmf.org/Wall-of-Faces/36970/JOSEPH-S-MCKINNEY/.) Melissa was that niece, born two months after his death.
Also posting in the "Remembrances" section of the Wall of Faces on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial fund, W. Killian offers a summary he calls "Final Mission of PFC Joseph S. McKinney": Fire Support Base 25 was located in Kon Tum Province, approximately two and one half miles northeast of Ben Het in the Central Highlands of Vietnam. In early 1968, FSB 25 was being threatened by an estimated battalion-sized element of the 66th NVA Regiment. The enemy was able to endure American air strikes and artillery fire in their bunkers while trail watchers observed FSB 25. High-speed approaches from their fortified positions allowed them to reach fighting positions as soon as the bombardments ended.
At 1230 hours on January 23, 1968, A and C Companies, 3rd Battalion, 12th Infantry, conducted a sweep from FSB 25 to nearby Hill 800 to clear a ridge from which they were receiving rocket and recoilless rifle fire. Moving against the enemy positions, the fire was so intense that A Company got pinned down. Suffering numerous casualties, both companies withdrew to the firebase. An intense mortar barrage was then launched against the base. The withering fire hailed on top of bunkers, causing several more casualties and secondary explosions, which in turn caused an even greater fire and threatened to detonate over 2,000 rounds of 4.2-inch mortar rounds. The enemy also hurled white phosphorous rounds, which set crates of ammunition on fire. With no water on the hilltop, soldiers scrambled to put the fires out by shoveling dirt on the burning crates. All the fires were extinguished after about 45 minutes. The bombardment resulted in seven American deaths. They included SP4 Hilaire A. Andry Jr., SP4 James M. Berge, SP4 James I. Buchner, SP4 Ronnie J. Eskew, SP4 John F. Lobsinger, SP4 Donald G. MacIntosh, and Pfc. Joseph S. McKinney. [More detail about these events can be found in the Coffelt Database entry for Joseph Stanley McKinney (accessed 24 March 2023, https://www.coffeltdatabase.org/detreq2.php), and Michael L. Moomey's Apache Recon: Because of the Brave (Bloomington, IN: AuthorHouse, 2010).]
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Pfc. McKinney's remains were recovered and returned to the U.S., where he was laid to rest at Rube Howerton Cemetery in Basin, Wyoming County, West Virginia. He will always be remembered as he is memorialized at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Panel 35E, Line 17, located in Washington, D.C., and at the West Virginia Veterans Memorial located in Charleston, West Virginia. |  |
| On January 26, 2022, the West Virginia Legislature introduced Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 13. They requested the Division of Highways name a bridge that carries Route 10 over Noseman Branch in Wyoming County, West Virginia, as the "U.S. Army PFC Joseph Stanley McKinney Memorial Bridge." |  |
According to the Virtual Wall website, Pfc. McKinney received the following medals: the Purple Heart, the National Defense Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, and the Vietnam Campaign Medal. ("Joseph Stanley McKinney," accessed 24 March 2023, https://virtualwall.org/dm/MckinneyJS01a.htm.) We will always remember how he served bravely and honorably, as he made the ultimate sacrifice to his country.
Article prepared by Anna Bubernak and MAJ (Ret) T. Brad McGee, George Washington High School JROTC
March 2023
West Virginia Archives and History welcomes any additional information that can be provided about these veterans, including photographs, family names, letters and other relevant personal history.