LTC William S. Brophy

LTC William S. Brophy enlisted in the Army in 1941. He attended the Ordnance Officer Candidate School at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland in 1942 earning his commission as a second lieutenant in 1943.

After his initial assignment as chief of the artillery section in the 97th Ordnance Company at Aberdeen, LTC Brophy transferred to various stateside ordnance positions until 1944 being assigned as an infantry platoon leader and deploying to the Pacific Theater as a weapons platoon leader, executive officer, and later company commander of Company A, 123d Infantry Regiment assigned to the 33d Infantry Division.

After WWII, LTC Brophy transferred to the reserves but returned to Active Duty for the Korean War. Again starting with a stateside ordnance assignment at Camp Edwards, Massachusetts as an Armament Officer before going to Korea as a Battalion Maintenance Officer, 66th Ordnance Battalion until moving on to serve as an assistant battalion executive officer to 2d battalion, 17th infantry regiment until the end of the Korean War in 1953 gaining notoriety by designing and constructing one of the first long range, shoulder-fired, bolt action, .50 caliber sniper rifles and perfecting its employment in Korea. This weapon is on permanent display in Fairfax, Virginia at the NRA Museum.

LTC Brophy returned from Korea to Aberdeen Proving Ground working in development on an Army-wide .50 caliber sniper rifle as well as the M14 rifle and then deploying to Vietnam as a maintenance officer and advisor in 1958. Upon return, he completed the Ordnance Officer Advanced Course and transferred to Fort Benning, Georgia to work as the Deputy Post Ordnance Officer and serve as the captain of the United States Army Pistol Team and later as OIC of the International Shooting Team. Returning to his Ordnance roots to work with the Army’s newest rifle, the M16, in 1964 LTC Brophy moved into development roles as Chief of Research and Development at the Army Arctic Test Center, Fort Wainwright as well as finishing his career as a Project Officer in Maintenance Support of Property and Procurement Division at Red River Army Depot in Texarkana, Texas.

LTC Brophy’s awards and decorations include the Bronze Star Medal, Army Commendation Medal, Asiatic Campaign Medal with two stars, Philippine Liberation Ribbon, National Defense Service Medal (second award), Vietnam Service Medal, Korean Service Medal with three stars, Combat Infantryman’s Badge, Distinguished Rifle Marksmanship Award, and Bronze Excellence-in-Competition Badge for Pistol President’s Hundred Award.

LTC Brophy retired from the Army in 1967 and passed away in 1991. He left an amazing record of accomplishment as a shooter, an Army officer who served in WWII, Korea and Vietnam, and a writer of many definitive books on small arms.