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Lt Col William Sellen

Started by ironputts, March 07, 2018, 11:04:32 PM

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Lt Col William Sellen
Henderson Composite Squadron
Nevada Wing

LTC WILLIAM SELLEN, U.S. Army, Retired, age 77, passed away peacefully Jan. 30, 2017, surrounded by the ones he laughed with, lived for and loved on. He was preceded in death by his son, Steven (widow, Rene); his brother Dennis; and his parents. LTC Sellen is survived by his wife, Phyllis; six children, Elaine Frye (John), Elizabeth Cruz (Elvys), Sheri Desmarest, William Barrett III (Alesia), Patrick Barrett (Jeanne) and David Sellen (Rona). He also leaves behind 19 grandchildren; and eight great-grandchildren. LTC Sellen was a veteran of the Vietnam War, serving three tours with the 5th Special Forces, 4th Infantry Division and the 7th Psychological Operations Battalion, where he earned several medals, including the Bronze Star, Army Commendation Medal for Valor and a Combat Infantryman's Badge. He grew up in Los Angles, the eldest son of Eddie Sellen and Bird Berniece Stowell. As a child, he enjoyed participating in Boy Scouts and the Sea Scouts, as well Army Junior ROTC as the Drill Team Commander. He enlisted in the Army Reserve as a private while still in high school and later transferred to the California Army National Guard. He attended the Officer Candidate School at Fort Benning, Ga., and was commissioned as a second lieutenant of Infantry on Aug. 11, 1960. He served over 40 years with distinction as a soldier and leader in the Army and took pride in his service as a paratrooper and Green Beret. The discipline and patriotism he learned in the Army never left him, as friends and family will attest. Even after retirement, he continued to serve his community, state and nation in various organizations such as the Reserve Officer's Association, The Military Order of the World Wars, Military Officers Association of America, Civil Air Patrol and the Boy Scouts of America to name a few. Service, with full military honors, will be at 10:45 a.m. Wednesday, June 21, at Arlington National Cemetery.

Greg Putnam, Lt. Col., CAP