Billy Ralph Tilger

Bill served over 22 years at sea and ashore.  His first ship duty was aboard the USS HELENA (CA-75), serving as Combat Information Center Officer. He served as Executive Officer in USS TIOGA COUNTY (LST-1158) assisting in Vietnam and then as Commading Officer, USS BENEWAH (APB-35), supporting mobile riverine operations in the Mekong River Delta. From the US Europe Command, Stuttgart, Germany; to NROTC, University of Oklohama; to ComNavSurfPac, San Diego, Bill completed a career of duty and Service.

Billy Ralph Tilger was born December 2nd, 1934, in a small farm town, Trenton TX.  On graduation from high school, in 1953, Bill enrolled at East Texas State Teachers College (now Texas A&M, Commerce). He graduated three years later with a bachelor’s degree in chemistry.

After graduation Bill worked as the process analyst at TEMCO Aircraft Corporation in Greenville, Texas. Before joining the military Bill met and married his wife, Anna Grace Fette, on September 16th, 1957.

During the summer of 1957 Bill was examined by the Selective Service for induction into the US Army. While waiting to report for duty, Bill learned that with his college degree he could possibly get a commission in the Navy. Bill was accepted into the naval officer candidate program. He enlisted November 1st, 1957, as an E-2, Officer Candidate Seaman Apprentice (OCSA) in the US Naval Reserve and was immediately sent to the Navy's Officer Candidate School (OCS) in Newport, Rhode Island. Upon graduation, he was commissioned as an Ensign in the Naval Reserve.

Bill volunteered for the Navy's Explosive Ordinance Disposal Program (EOD). The first phase of the more than one-year training program was Underwaters Swimmers School, conducted in Key West, Florida. He ruptured both eardrums, while practicing free ascent from a diving bell after ditching scuba gear. This led to a reassignment to Naval Station Orange, TX in May 1958. His duty was officer-in-charge of the separation center for navy personnel being discharged from the service. Additionally, his duty was Officer-in-Charge of the Naval Reserve Training Center in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

After about 18 months at Naval Station Orange, Bill asked to go to sea to evaluate whether he wanted to continue active duty after his three-year obligation. The Navy accommodated his request for sea duty and assigned him to the USS Helena (CA-75), home ported in Long Beach, CA.  Bill was promoted to Lieutenant Junior Grade. His assignment on the heavy cruiser was assistant Combat Information Center (CIC) Officer. The Helena’s home port was changed to San Diego during Bill's tour on board.

By the end of 1960, Bill and Anna were the proud parents of three children: Matthew born in Newport, RI in 1958, Katie born in Orange, TX in 1959, and Maggie born in Long Beach, CA in 1960.

In 1962, the Navy offered Bill a job as an NROTC instructor for a two-year contract. Bill was assigned to the University of Oklahoma as Assistant Professor of Naval Science, where he taught the freshmen naval orientation and naval history courses. During this time, he was promoted to Lieutenant. Seeing that the Navy was more exciting than civilian life, Bill augmented from reserve to regular Navy,

In June 1963 Bill was ordered to duty as operations officer on the destroyer, USS Boyd (DD-544), homeported in San Diego CA.  Upon returning from a western Pacific deployment, where the ship's mission was running the Taiwan Straits between China and Taiwan, the ship went into a six-month overhaul in Long Beach, CA naval shipyard.

In December 1964, Bill was transferred to the USS Tioga County (LST-1158) as Executive Officer. During his tour on board, the ship did feasibility testing for converting the Sparrow air-to-air missile to a ship's basic-point-defense missile system. Following the testing, Tioga County deployed to Mid-Pac to support the Army 25th Division training. After four months of transporting units of the Army 25th Division between Oahu and the island of Hawaii, the ship was ordered to go West and engage in operations in the Vietnam War. Tioga County was deployed from its home port of San Diego for 10 months, returning in May 1966.

Bill's next assignment was postgraduate school at the Defense Intelligence School in Washington, DC in September 1966. After graduation, he was assigned to the J-2 directorate at Headquarters US European command, located in Stuttgart Germany. His duty there was to give intelligence briefings to the Deputy Commander in Chief of U.S. Forces Europe and his staff, on current intelligence from around the world.

In February of 1970, Bill reported to the USS Benewah (APB-35) as commanding officer on the Mekong River in Vietnam, five miles from the Cambodian border. Benewah’s mission was to support mobile riverine