Franz Xavier Wallner was born on September 12, 1936, in Lower Bavaria, Germany. He later immigrated to the United States and resided at 94 Warburton Avenue in Yonkers, New York. Wallner was drafted into the U.S. Army on May 6, 1960, and served for more than six years as an 11B40 Infantryman, eventually attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant. He arrived in Vietnam on May 24, 1966, and was assigned to Company C, 2nd Battalion, 2nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Infantry Division, U.S. Army Vietnam.

On June 11, 1966, SSgt Wallner took part in the Battle for Hills 150 and 177 during Operation El Paso II near the Loc Ninh Rubber Plantation in Binh Long Province, South Vietnam. The operation called for U.S. forces to sweep the area around Loc Ninh, but dense fog delayed the air assault by about two hours. As American troops advanced, they encountered heavily entrenched Viet Cong forces employing automatic weapons, machine guns, grenades, and other explosive devices. Wallner and his unit became engaged in the intense fighting, which was supported by U.S. artillery and air strikes. American forces eventually secured the contested hills, but at a high cost: 34 U.S. soldiers were killed, including Wallner, while 98 Viet Cong were reported killed. Wallner's death was attributed to hostile action involving an explosive device. He was subsequently returned to Germany and is buried at Friedhof Vilsbiburg in Bavaria.

Sources of information: www.findagrave.com, facebook/ Veterans of Foreign Wars - VFW : Yonkers NY: Post 1666