ALL GAVE SOME
SOME GAVE ALL
By Robe rt Rehde r | Photos Courte s y of the Lani e r Fami ly
DAYTON WAYNE LANIER
MAY 2, 1940 - MAY 9, 1968
CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER
UNITED STATES ARMY
Flying low and drawing fire, helicopter pilot Chief Warrant Officer Wayne Lanier dives into
the A Shau Valley in Vietnam — into the face of the enemy — dropping flares to set up targets
for the Cobra gunships circling above. Morning, evening, and night he flies — they all fly,
sometimes around the clock, each mission interconnected in ways that are difficult to fathom
even for veteran pilots. One thing they know — with every mission they save lives on the
ground. Wayne Lanier’s journey to the skies over Vietnam began 9,000 miles away in a peaceful,
loving home on Chestnut Street in Wilmington, North Carolina.
28
WBM july 2019
