2nd Lieutenant William A. Rawson was a U.S. Marine Corps officer and athlete from Lake Forest, Illinois. He graduated from Lake Forest High School in 1960, where he was co-captain of the football team, captain of the track team, and an all-conference athlete in football, basketball, and track. He competed in the state track meets in 1959 and 1960 and earned the Jack Swengenson award.

Rawson attended the University of Missouri on a track scholarship, setting records in middle-distance running and participating in a nationally recognized relay team. In January 1966, he enlisted in the Marine Corps, completing Officer Candidate School in the top 10% of his class and earning the rank of Second Lieutenant. Deployed to Vietnam in 1967 as a platoon leader with the 3rd Battalion, 5th Marines, he served in “Operation Union I,” where he was recognized for gallantry. During “Operation Union II” in June 1967, he was killed in action while aiding a wounded fellow Marine. Posthumously awarded the Silver Star, Rawson is buried at Arlington National Cemetery