Paul Josiah Wilson

Paul Josiah Wilson was born in Tulsa, OK and moved to Pella with his family as a child. He graduated from Pella Community High School in the class of 1965. His mother passed away before he finished high school. Wilson attended Central College in Pella and the Augustana College in Rock Island, IL. He enlisted in the Army in December 1966. He graduated from Officers Candidate School at Ft. Sill, OK in October 1967, and went to South Vietnam on March 1, 1968. 1LT Wilson served with the 11th Artillery in the 25th Infantry Division. Ten months into his tour the young Iowan died while aboard a Hughes OH-6 Cayuse helicopter. On January 17, 1969 the chopper was shot down by enemy forces in the Tay Ninh Province, South Vietnam. Two other Americans died in the incident. The 22-year-old’s body was returned to the United States and buried at the Oak Wood Cemetery in Pella.