Captain William H. Mallery (M7989) died on 3 June 2018 with his beloved wife Mary by his side. He was 84 years of age. He served with the 74th Regimental Combat Team 1954-1956.
In 1959, He enlisted in the RI Army National Guard. He attended RI Officers Candidate School and graduated in 1961, commissioned Second Lieutenant, Air Defense Artillery. When he became aware that a Special Forces unit was to be activated in the RIARNG, he immediately contacted LTC Everett Paice, the designated commander and requested transfer. Bill was one of the original officers assigned to Company D, 16th SF Gp (Abn) RIARNG when it was activated on 1May62. He completed the Basic Airborne Course and the Infantry Officer Branch Course at Fort Benning and graduated from the Special Forces Officers Course, Fort Bragg in April 1966. He was a key contributor to the development of Company D from logistics to training. He served as a liaison and conduit between “Smoke Bomb Hill” and the unit. He is remembered for his dynamic leadership style, tenacity and exuberance. Bill came from a military background. His father, Howard L. Mallery, served in the First World War. He was wounded while a motorcycle dispatch rider in France.
Bill was raised in the Conimicut section of Warwick, RI. His childhood friends were Ed and Harry Noon. After high school and prior to attending Providence College, Ed would enlist in the Army and serve with the 82d Airborne Division. Bill and Ed would reunite as officers serving in Company D, 16th Special Forces. They would also start their Federal Law Enforcement careers together as US Customs agents in Boston, MA.
Bill’s career in Federal Law Enforcement started in 1966 with the US Treasury Dept, US Customs as a Port Investigator in Boston, MA. He transferred to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in 1968 and was assigned to the office in Buffalo, NY. In 1971, because of his explosives experience, he was transferred to San Francisco to combat the activities of the Weather Underground and the Black Panthers. He later served as the Resident Agent in Charge of the Fresno and Oakland offices. He retired in December 1988. In addition to Mary, he is survived by his son William H. Mallery, Jr. and his daughter Susan Mallery Staines and grandchildren Jonathan and Samantha. Bill is buried in St. Michael Cemetery, Livermore, CA.
