William Francis Buckley

William Francis Buckley
William Francis Buckley
Birth name	William Francis Buckley
Born	May 30, 1928; Medford, Massachusetts, U.S.
Died	June 3, 1985 (aged 57); Lebanon
Buried	Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington County, Virginia, U.S.
Service/branch	United States Army; Central Intelligence Agency
Years of service	1947–1965 (Army); 1965–1985 (CIA)
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel (Army); Paramilitary Operations Officer (CIA)
Unit	U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Division; 11th Special Forces Group; MACV; Central Intelligence Agency Special Activities Division;
Battles/wars	Korean War; Vietnam War
Awards	Silver Star; Soldier's Medal; Bronze Star with Valor device; Purple Heart (2); Meritorious Service Medal; Combat Infantry Badge; Parachutist Badge; Vietnam Gallantry Cross; Distinguished Intelligence Cross; Intelligence Star; Exceptional Service Medal
Alma mater	Boston University (BA)

William Francis Buckley (May 30, 1928 – June 3, 1985) was a United States Army officer in the United States Army Special Forces, and a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) station chief in Beirut from 1984^[1] until his kidnapping and execution in 1985.

Buckley's cover was as a political officer at the U.S. Embassy.^[2]^[3] He was kidnapped by the group Islamic Jihad in March 1984, and held hostage and tortured by psychiatrist Aziz al-Abub. Hezbollah later claimed they executed him in October 1985, but another American hostage disputed that, believing that he died five months prior, in June.^[4]^[5]^[6]

He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery and is commemorated with a star on the Memorial Wall at the CIA headquarters in Langley, Virginia.^[7]

^ Binder, David (June 27, 1985). "Hostages in Lebanon: Israelis are guarded; another seven Americans held hostage in Lebanon". The New York Times. Vol. CXXXIV, no. 129. p. A10. Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
^ Thomas 1989.
^ Kushner 2003, p. 85-86, Buckley, William Francis (Entries A-Z).
^ "Former Hostage Says Buckley Died Five Months Before Date Given by Captors". The Associated Press (AP). December 2, 1986. Retrieved September 11, 2021.
^ Cite error: The named reference Thomas was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference Trento was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Cite error: The named reference nyt91 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[buckley-cia-1] Binder, David (June 27, 1985). "Hostages in Lebanon: Israelis are guarded; another seven Americans held hostage in Lebanon". The New York Times. Vol. CXXXIV, no. 129. p. A10. Archived from the original on September 13, 2018. Retrieved September 11, 2021.

[FOOTNOTEThomas1989-2] Thomas 1989.

[FOOTNOTEKushner200385-86[httpswwwarchiveorgdetailsisbn_9780761924081page85mode2up_Buckley,_William_Francis_(Entries_A-Z)]-3] Kushner 2003, p. 85-86, Buckley, William Francis (Entries A-Z).

[AP-4] "Former Hostage Says Buckley Died Five Months Before Date Given by Captors". The Associated Press (AP). December 2, 1986. Retrieved September 11, 2021.

[Thomas-5] Cite error: The named reference Thomas was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Trento-6] Cite error: The named reference Trento was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[nyt91-7] Cite error: The named reference nyt91 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

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