Upshur County holds ceremony honoring Gilmer native Navy SEAL veteran Billy Wayne Machen

Gilmer, Texas ( KETK ) – Upshur County held a tribute for Gilmer native, Billy Wayne Machen who was the first U.S. Navy SEAL killed during the Vietnam War.

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Machen was killed in the line of duty, Aug. 19, 1966 during the Vietnam war.

A trooper in the war, Machen led his men through the jungle, sensing something was wrong and sacrificed his own life by taking on an enemy ambush alone to save his troops waiting behind.

"They carried him out, he was mortally wounded. He died on the way out and so his guys that brought him out started the saying in the military, no man left behind, dead or alive," Steve Dean said.

After Machen's heroic death, he received a silver star and purple heart for this unwavering sacrifice.

A legacy that's lived on since in every branch of the military, as well as in his son who was just a month old at the time of his death.

"He had spoke to very few family members before he left, saying, if I do my job right, I'm not coming home," said Sam Machen, Billy's son.

While Sam never got to meet his father, he admires his bravery.

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"Courage is the thing you don't know you have until it's time to be there, so he knew, he literally knew that he wasn't coming home. That right there is above and beyond the courage of a normal man," Sam said.

The Machen family settled in Gilmer in the 1900's and Billy is a graduate of Gilmer High School.

The tribute to his memory Wednesday night was held at 'Camp Billy Machen Memorial Park' just a few yards away from where the Machen family lived. At the ceremony, officials unveiled a Texas Historical Marker honoring his service.

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"Thing is, I've always known he is going to be here forever because the community doesn't let him go, but the state recognizes him, puts it on a little bit of a more level. I cannot appreciate that more," Sam said.

Multiple county, state, and federal government officials spoke at the ceremony, reminding everyone to never forget Billy's sacrifice.

"I think it's important that we that we memorialize people that have given sacrifice like this, so that our kids and grandkids know as they as they age, that the price that was paid for the freedoms that we enjoy," said Texas House Representative Cole Hefner (R – Mount Pleasant).

This was a time to honor their local hero, who proved that freedom is never free.