William F. Hecker Obituary

Hello,
We realize that we are very late to express our deepest condolences, but we wanted to let your family and friends know that we will be sending Care Packages to deployed troops this month and several of these will be dedicated to your loved one. Each package will carry the name, photo and hometown of William F. Hecker III US Army Major.

We realize that this is a small tribute, but we do this with all respect and sincerity and we want you to know that it is made possible by thousands of like-minded individuals from across the American youth hockey community, their families and friends and others who support our mission.

We will not forget. May God Bless you and keep you safe and strong.

Sincerely,
Charlie Gili & Family
On Behalf of our US Hockey Players Support Our Troops Campaign

I was fortunate enough to meet Major Hecker while serving in Najaf Iraq 2005. I was a Company Commander serving with the 155th Armored Brigade. I spent roughly 2 weeks with Major Hecker before departing. I can remember him showing me pictures of his family and telling me how blessed he was to have them. For the short time that I got to spend with him, I could tell he was a true Leader that deeply cared about his men and the mission at hand. When I departed to Kuwait, I think I had been there 2 days when I heard the sad news. I was due to fly out of country the next day coming home. There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of him and the other soldiers that were killed that day. It has been nearly 14 years now and seems like it was yesterday. May God Bless and take care of his family.

To the family and friends of Maj. William F. Hecker:
It has truly been my honor to sign William's guest book these past few years. Unfortunately, due to complications from my Multiple Sclerosis, this may be the last message I'm able to write. Please forgive me and know that William will always be remembered in my home.
With love and respect ~ Peggy

How the family and friends of this fine American soldier must miss that beaming smile, as well as his presence in their lives. Reading the words written by his comrades in arms, as well as those from his civilian life, I'm sure that he was a good man, a wonderful husband and Dad and a fine soldier. I hope that the past years have brought some peace to your lives and that you've found time and solace to share all the wonderful memories of an all too short but well lived life on earth.

January 5, 2012
To the family and friends of Maj. William F. Hecker:
Always remembering William. "Some gave all."

To the family and friends of Maj. William F. Hecker:
Please accept my remembrance of William on the anniversary of his passing and know that he will never be forgotten in my home.
Peggy Childers
www.IraqWarHeroes.org

To the family of Maj.Hecker. We celebrate 5 yrs today . Thank You for the ultimate sacrifice

Nina Peralez

Sister of Sgt.Johnny J Peralez Jr

To the family and friends of Maj. William F. Hecker:
Remembering William on the anniverary of his passing. May our fallen heroes never be forgotten!
Peggy Childers
"Don't Let The Memory Of Them Drift Away"
www.IraqWarHeroes.org

Holding you all in my thoughts and prayers.


The Wind on The Downs

“I like to think of you as brown and tall,
As strong and living as you used to be,
In khaki tunic, Sam Brown belt and all,
And standing there and laughing down at me.
Because they tell me, dear, that you are dead,
Because I can no longer see your face,
You have not died, it is not true, instead
You seek adventure in some other place.
That you are round about me, I believe;
I hear you laughing as you used to do,
Yet loving all the things I think of you;
And knowing you are happy, should I grieve?
You follow and are watchful where I go.”

(Written by Marian Allen during World War l )

Two lines that I wish you to keep near your heart…….

“You seek adventure in some other place.
That you are round about me, I believe”


I did not know William, but I am remembering
his service and sacrifice. He is my hero. !

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Other Side

i'm over on the other side
where life and death softly divide.
left my skin and bones behind
now i'm over on the other side.

can you feel me there with you?
my breath is gone but i'm not through.
loved you then and i still do
from over on the other side.

i can fly. really fly.
below the earth ... all through the sky.
tell em all i did not die.
i'm just over on the other side.

it's good here on the other side.
the sweetest songs...the bluest skies.
thank you for the tears you cried
but it's good here on the other side.

i can fly. really fly. below the earth...all through the sky.
tell em all i did not die.
i'm just over on the other side

the world is smaller than a needle's eye.
where life and death softly divide.
when you leave your skin and bones behind
i'll be waiting on the other side.

i can fly. really fly. below the earth ... all through the sky.
go tell em all i did not die.
i'm just over on the other side.

Song lyrics by Don Conoscenti
C Desert Muse/SESAC
www.donconoscenti.com
(Used with permission)

“I hope it brings great comfort to any and all.
Peace on you. DonCon” 4-2008


The Other Side –
(To hear the song)
http://tinyurl.com/3o8gol



Sincerely,

Deb Estep ~ Ohio
Proud Air Force Mom SSgt Vince – Lackland AFB
Proud Air Force MIL SrA Dana – Randolph AFB

Remembering The Fallen – Blog
http://tinyurl.com/3z8p55

Angel and soldier drawing I have shared here.
http://tinyurl.com/6gey8b

To the family of Maj. William F. Hecker:
William gave the ultimate sacrifice and will be held in the hearts of Americans forever. I cannot and will not let our fallen heroes be forgotten. My deepest sympathy to you. "Some gave all."
Peggy Childers
"Don't Let The Memory Of Them Drift Away"
www.IraqWarHeroes.org

Our continued thoughts and prayers out to the HECKER family.Knowing now what they have always known is one of many reasons that our HERO[ES] shall NEVER be forgotten.Rest well brother as prommissed that star spangled banner shall FOREVER wave.Your name stamped in steel is FOREVER clutched in the tallons,as your spirit FOREVER soars high in the skies in the symbol of our great nation.THANK..YOU..HO..YAAH..B.V.C.

The young man I knew as "Billy Hecker" was born just one month before my daughter; both children were the eldest in our families. Nancy and Bill were valued friends, and I enjoyed seeing little Bill and his brother grow up. I have only just learned, almost two years after it occurred, the terrible news of his loss. I am greatly saddened for his family. As a teacher myself, I know that he touched many lives and will always be remembered. My deepest condolences to the family.

There is nothing that I can say or do to take away the pain or bring you peace in your time of sorrow, but I will offer you and your family my heart felt condolences. I also offer you my prayers that in time the pain will easy and the memories of your HERO will carry you through each day and night. I want to thank your HERO, for his/her selfless act of becoming a member of the armed forces, his/her willingness to defend the United States of America, all that we hold sacred and for the sacrifice that will forever be etched in the memories of all those who knew him/her. Though tears can never bring him/her back, we hope that our tears express our gratitude for the sacrifice that he/she made and our sorrow at his/her passing. I believe for every fallen HERO there is a star shining brightly up above to remind us of the precious gift we were given.

Your mission on earth is complete and you are now a member of GOD’s Heavenly armed forces. Stand down brave warrior and take your rightful place in Heaven with all the HEROES who have passed before.

I made a special promise to LE RON A. WILSON, a dear family friend who joined the Army with three other friends, one of whom is my son (Le Ron was killed in action on 07/06/07 at the age of 18) on the day he was laid to rest as I touched his coffin, that I would never forget him nor would I forget those that gave their lives for our country before him, with him and after him and so when I came across www.legacy.com, I thought what a great way to keep my promise to Le Ron, so I will continue to leave tributes in each guest book until the day there is no longer the need to leave these tributes to a FALLEN HERO.

REST IN PEACE, HERO, YOU WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN!!

PROUD MOTHER OF A U.S. SOLDIER
Currently stationed in Germany
Althea Barrett(Queens, NY)

I was sad to hear about your great loss.

I am Deeply Saddened to learn of the loss of Maj. William F. Hecker, one year ago today.
The price this Brave Soldier and his family have paid for this country and for freedom, Will Never Be Forgotten.
May Maj. Hecker rest safely in the Loving Care of God and may the Peace of the Lord be with the Hecker family.
There will never be enough ways to humbly thank these heroes for their Supreme Sacrifice, my brother among them. KIA~Vietnam, 1967.

"Cast thy burden upon the Lord,
and He shall sustain thee."
~ Psalm 55:22 ~

May the Peace of God and your memories of William,
remain in your heart always.
May this give you comfort and strength through the difficult days.
You are in my thoughts and prayers and I am deeply sorry for your loss.

It has almost been a year and I can’t even put into words how sadden I am by his loss. I will never forget him. I served as his XO while he was the Battery Commander of HHB,4-27 FA in Baumholder Germany. It was definitely a pleasure to serve with him and his family. He is one of the reasons why I’m still serving today. He and his family are always in my thoughts and prayers. As I continue to make trips to Iraq and Afghanistan I go with the tools he has given me … so that I can work “smart” in order to keep our soldiers safe so that they may return home to their families. What a great leader, soldier and friend. If I could speak to him today I would say “Thank you for your leadership and inspiration…I’m serving for you and for our soldiers …rest easy…brother”.

MAJ Bill Hecker loved life. He had a passion for the written word like no other person I knew. He loved his family and God with all his heart. He was an avid baseball fan who proudly hung his Mark Mcguire poster in his office at West Point. We joked after the birth of his third daughter that we was fielding a softball team rather than a baseball team, but the birth of his namesake changed all that. I know Bill is having long conversations with Edgar Allen Poe and Shakespeare to help answer all those questions he had while on this earth. My thoughts and prayers are with his wife and children as they preserve the special memory of their husband and father who loved being a soldier.

MAY GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS. I HAVE JUST LEARNED OF YOUR GREAT LOSS AND WISH TO EXPRESS MY DEEPEST CONDOLENCES. YOUR HERO WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. HOLD TIGHT TO YOUR TREASURED MEMORIES THAT HIS SPECIAL SMILE MAY CONTINUE TO SHINE. I PRAY THAT PEACE WILL FIND YOU ALL SOMEDAY. GODSPEED AND SEMPER FI.



A MARINE MOM

My heartfelt sympathy to the Hecker family in the loss of William. I did not know William, but my heart is broken and I am sadden for your loss of such a fine young man and hero. May God bring you peace in your heart as you reflect on all the wonderful memories you hold so close. Please know that you are in my heart and prayers.

I send each of you a hug from the most inner part of my heart.

Love and Peace

Tom



To live in the hearts

of those you leave behind

is never to die"

~Robert Orr~

Our prayers go out to your family. My son served under Maj Hecker and spoke highly of his commanders. We offer our heart felt prayers to you at the loss of your servicemember. Signed a pround mother.

I only knew Bill for a few months.. we crossed paths during one of the training events prior to our deployment to Iraq. I was in Baghdad in the Division headquarters when the initial report came in and only learned later that Bill was among those killed. It only took the short time I knew him to recognize that Bill was a dedicated professional, a leader, an artilleryman. May God bless him and his family. We carry on with the mission in his honor and for the honor of those like him.

We care and share your sorrows.

Bill Hecker was a friend, scholar and patriot. I served with Bill when we were both commanders based in Baumholder Germany and I am very much better for knowing him. The loss of Bill has hit me hard despite it being a long time since I last spoke to him. I look around at all the books I have collected because Bill introduced me to the passion of classic liturature published in beautiful books. I spent many pleasant hours with Bill when deployed and in garrison. Since Bill and I commanded the two logistics batteries of the battalion, we teamed up to take care of business on a large scale. I admire Bill's sense of humor and sense of history. I have posted a further tribute to Bill Hecker at www.battlebornnews.com. I thank you Bill for all the experiences and insights you gave to me so freely. I truely have wept at your loss and for your surviving family.

Psalm 23



1

The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

2

He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters,

3

He restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

4

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

5

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

6

Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.



This is a verse that I have found to be comforting to me during my husbands death. Remember that when it seems that no one else is round, God is still there with you! And he will be your rock!



My daughter,McKaLyne, and I send our heartfelt sympathy for your loss! God Bless this warrior, God Bless those whom serve freedom's cause! They are our true HERO's!!!!



If you need anything, please feel free to contact me!!!



Wife & Daughter of the Late

Sgt. Audrey Daron Lunsford

KIA May 23, 2005

Major William F. Heckler - HERO. Having just lost our son I know there are no words right now - I can't find them for myself either. Just know you are not alone. My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to you Major and your family for the struggles they have ahead to deal with this terrible loss. If you ever want to talk, I'm only an e:mail away - this HERO will never be forgotten. May God grant you peace and strength in the days, months and years ahead. Someday the memories, hopefully, will allow us once again to smile rather than just have the tears we have now.

Pam Adams (SFC Brent Adams, KIA 12/1/05)