Gilmer park honors first Navy SEAL killed in Vietnam

GILMER, Texas (KLTV) - Camp Billy Machen Memorial Park honors Billy Machen, the first U.S. Navy SEAL killed in the Vietnam War.

The park is home to a historical marker in Gilmer on the land where Machen grew up.

In 1966, Machen was his team’s point man and sensed that his team was in danger. He chose to confront the ambush alone, allowing his team to escape. Machen later died from his wounds.

He had a son who was one month old at the time, who he never got to meet. In 2024, Samuel Machen attended a celebration in honor of his father with a historical marker.

“Courage is a thing you don’t know you have until it’s time to be there. So he had spoke to a few family members before he left saying, ‘If I do my job right. I’m not coming home.’ So he knew,” Samuel Machen said.

Steve Dean has been at the forefront of pushing to get the memorial on the land where Machen grew up. Dean went to Gilmer High School with Machen and said he had the spirit of a SEAL even then.

While it’s been many years in the making for the monument, Dean said it’s never too late.

“It’s never too late to honor a veteran and so any time you do it, it’s always good. I think it’s good to recognize people who have served, recognize their families. Sometimes the family give more than the actual individual does,” Dean said.

Machen was awarded a Purple Heart and a Silver Star for valor, and his actions are considered a foundational example of the “never leave a teammate behind” motto. He will always be remembered as a pioneer to the SEAL teams.

Camp Billy Machen Memorial Park is at 1707 Machen Lane in Upshur County. It is on the former Machen homestead property near Lake Gilmer.