William Jefferson Blythe Jr. lost control of his 1942 Buick on U.S. Route 60 outside of Sikeston, Missouri, after one of his car's tires blew out. He survived the accident after being thrown from the car, but drowned in a drainage ditch as he tried to pull his way out of the three feet (1 meter) of water in the ditch. Three months later, Blythe's widow, Virginia, gave birth to their son, whom she named William Jefferson Blythe III in honor of his father and grandfather. In 1950, Blythe's widow married Roger Clinton Sr.; 12 years later, Blythe's posthumous son legally adopted his stepfather's
William A. Jones III William A. Jones III William Atkinson Jones III (May 31, 1922 – November 15, 1969) was a United States Air Force officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War. Born in Virginia, he was the grandson of US congressman William Atkinson Jones. Jones joined the Air Force after graduating from West Point with the class of 1945. By September 1, 1968 was serving as a lieutenant colonel in the 602d Special Operations Squadron, operating out of Nakhon Phanom Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand. On that day, Jones