Camp Billy Machen Memorial Park receives the Texas Historical Marker

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – A historic commemoration was held at Camp Billy Machen Memorial Park.

Machen’s family and friends, as well as several U.S. and state representatives, attended.

“I think it’s good that all levels of government, you know, we’ve had the district judge here, the state, the federal representation. You know, we all have a different role, so I think it’s good that we can come together and honor this man and his family,” said Cole Hefner, a Texas state representative.

Billy Machen was the first US Navy SEAL killed in Vietnam.

In 1966, Machen was his team’s point man and sensed his team was in danger. He chose to handle the ambush alone, allowing his team to escape and regroup, later dying of his wounds.

Machen had a son who was one month old at the time, whom he never met. He was able to attend his celebration on Thursday.

“Courage is something you don’t know you have until it’s time to have courage. So before he left, he had talked to some family members and said, ‘If I do my job right.’ ‘I’m not coming home,’ so he knew it,” said Samuel Machen, Billy Machen’s son.

Steve Dean was one of the pioneers in creating the memorial, which sits on the land where Machen grew up.

Dean went to high school with Machen and said that even then he had the spirit of a SEAL.

Although work on the monument has taken many years, he says it is never too late.

“It’s never too late to honor a veteran, and that’s why it’s always good when you do. I think it’s good to recognize people who have served and recognize their families. “Sometimes the family gives more than the individual,” said Dean.

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