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Technical Sergeant Billie Clark Alexander

An older African American man wearing a blue polo shirt.
  • Unit: 701st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron
  • Date of Birth: June 27, 1933
  • Entered the Military: June 18, 1953
  • Date of Death: May 10, 2016
  • Hometown: Montgomery, Virginia
  • Place of Death: Radford, Virginia
  • Award(s): Air Force Good Conduct Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Force Longevity Service Award, National Defense Service Medal with 1 Bronze Service Star, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Air Force Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal with 3 Loops, United Nations Service Medal
  • Cemetery: Section 8, Row 9, Site 316. Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery, Dublin, Virginia
Contributed by Jozee Boles, Chloe Boone, Brayden Jones, Angel Mercado Ramos, Alex Torres, Karina Moreno Santiago, Angelo Ponce, Amora Simmons, Alex Spainhour, Bryson Taylor, Cody Wall, Brytin Ward, McKenna Watson
Mentored by Ms. Rebecca Simmons
Mount Airy High School
2024/2025

Early Life

Billie Clark Alexander was born in Montgomery County, Virginia, on June 27, 1933, to Murril and Lilly Alexander. Alexander was born the second youngest of eight children. His father was a laborer who worked for the railroad, while his mother Lilly stayed home to take care of hearth and home.  

Alexander and some of his siblings attended a private African-American high school, Christianburg Institute, from which he graduated in 1949. Following graduation, Alexander worked for Radford College (now Radford University) prior to his military service.

The Alexander family lived in Montgomery County, Virginia in 1940. National Archives and Records Administration.
The Alexander family lived in Montgomery County, Virginia in 1950. National Archives and Records Administration.
The graduating class of the Christianburg Institute, June 1949. Alexander is in the second row, third from left. William Smith College, Christiansburg Institute Digital Archive.

Homefront

Prior to being drafted into the U.S. Army, Billie Alexander lived in Radford, Virginia. Radford was built on the banks of the New River, ensuring access to fresh water and transportation. During Alexander’s time in the service, Radford supplied munitions for the U.S. Army through the Radford Arsenal, which had been in operation since 1941. 

Also, during the period following the end of World War II, there was a population boom which led to rezoning, increased infrastructure, and restructuring of the school system. The State Teachers College and Virginia Polytechnic Institute merged to form Radford College. Radford Community Hospital was established, and the Memorial Bridge was built over the New River.

Radford Army Ammunition Plant began production in April 1941. U.S. Army.
Virginia State Teachers College, 1940. Allegany Highlands Regional Library.
The construction of Memorial Bridge over the New River, c.1949. Virginia Department of Transportation.

Military Experience

Billie Alexander was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1953. He was a cook throughout his service in the Army. Following his service in the Army, he joined the Army Reserves, serving from April 29, 1955 to January 31, 1956. 

Alexander enlisted in the U.S. Air Force on February 1, 1956, and did his basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas. He then completed technical training with the 3450th Student Squadron at  F. E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming. His first permanent duty station was with the 701st Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron at Kure Beach, North Carolina. 

Alexander was stationed at Kure Beach until 1962. While there, he met and married his wife, Queen, and they started a family. However, in 1962, Alexander deployed overseas and was stationed at the Royal Air Force (RAF) Base in Bruggen, Germany. His family joined him there. 

After a three-year tour, Alexander and his family returned stateside, where he was stationed with the 2026th Communications Squadron at Grand Forks Air Force Base, North Dakota. He was returned to Germany in 1968 to Bitburg Air Force Base assigned to the 36th Supply Squadron. 

He officially retired from the Air Force on March 31, 1974, from his last duty station of Holleman Air Force Base in New Mexico, having worked as a supply clerk in some capacity throughout his Air Force career.

During his service, Alexander received numerous awards and medals, including a Good Conduct medal with three oak leaf clusters and a United Nations Service Medal.

Billie Alexander’s Air Force service record, February 1, 1956 to July 17, 1956. National Archives and Records Administration-St. Louis.
Billie Alexander’s Air Force service record, covering the period from 1956 to November 1965. Part of the file is redacted for privacy purposes. National Archives and Records Administration-St. Louis.
Billie Alexander’s Air Force service record, covering the period from May 1964 to January 1970. Part of the file is redacted for privacy purposes. National Archives and Records Administration-St. Louis.

Veteran Experience

Billie Alexander, along with his wife Queen and the children, returned to Radford, Virginia, following his service. He went to work at the Radford Community Hospital, and attended classes at New River Community College, where he earned a degree in heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC). Alexander was involved in his community, even donating to the Love Light Tree at the Radford Community Hospital Auxiliary. 

A postcard of Radford Community Hospital, where Alexander worked following his service.
New River Community College, where Alexander received HVAC training. Courtesy of New River Community College.
Billie Alexander was lauded for his service to the Radford Community Hospital. The Montgomery News Messenger, June 2, 1988. Christiansburg History Archives, Montgomery-Floyd Regional Library.

Commemoration

After a lifetime of service, Billie Clark Alexander passed away on May 10, 2016. He left behind his loving wife Queen, children Alvin and Erika, grandchildren Jerome and Jordan, and his brother, George. 

He is buried at Southwestern Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Dublin, Virginia.

Billie Alexander’s obituary, published in The Roanoke Times, May 12, 2016.
Alexander’s widow, Queen, and their son, Alvin, visit his grave at Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery, March 27, 2025. Courtesy of Rebecca Simmons.
The resting place of Billie Clark Alexander at Southwest Virginia Veterans Cemetery in Dublin, Virginia, March 27, 2025. Courtesy of Rebecca Simmons.

Bibliography

Primary Sources

1940 School Census Map. Map. Montgomery Museum of Art and History. Gathering Blacksburg History. https://gatheringblacksburghistory.org/1940-school-census-map/.

Alexander, Queen. Telephone interview with author. November 12, 2024. 

Billie Clark Alexander, Freedom of Information Act Request. National Archives and Records Administration – St. Louis.

Billie Clark Alexander. U.S., Index of Public Records, 1950-1993, Volume 1. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Billie Clark Alexander. Index of Public Records, 1994-2019. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

“Billie Clark Alexander.” Mullins Funeral Home and Crematory. Last modified May 10, 2016. Accessed December 5, 2024. https://www.mullinsfuneralhome.com/obituary/4774523. 

Billie Clark Alexander. U.S., City Directories, 1822-1995. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Billie Clark Alexander. U.S., Obituary Collection, 1930-Current. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Billie Clark Alexander. U.S., Veterans Gravesites, c.1775-2019. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Billie Clark Alexander. Virginia, U.S., Birth Records, 1912-2015, Delayed Birth Records, 1721-1920. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Christiansburg Institute Digital Archive. Accessed March 1, 2025. https://hub.catalogit.app/8896/.

The construction of Memorial Bridge over the New River. Photograph. c.1949. Virginia Department of Transportation. 

“Hospital Lauds 127 Workers.” The Montgomery News Messenger [Christiansburg, VA], June 2, 1988. https://christiansburg.historyarchives.online/home.

 “Love Light Tree Grows.” The Montgomery News Messenger [Christiansburg, VA], November 27, 1986. https://christiansburg.historyarchives.online/home.

“Radford Honors Workers.” The Montgomery News Messenger [Christiansburg, VA], June 2, 1985. https://christiansburg.historyarchives.online/home.

Virginia. Montgomery County. 1940 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

Virginia. Montgomery County. 1950 U.S. Census. Digital images. https://ancestryclassroom.com. 

The Virginian. State Teachers College, 1940. https://archive.org/details/virginianthe1940stat/page/124/mode/2up. 

Secondary Sources

“Billie C. Alexander.” Veterans Legacy Memorial, U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Accessed March 3, 2025. https://www.vlm.cem.va.gov/BILLIECALEXANDER/8e1139. 

“Billie Clark Alexander.” Find a Grave. Updated June 25, 2016. Accessed December 11, 2024. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/166068141/billie-clark-alexander. 

“Billie Clark Alexander.” National Cemetery Administration. Accessed October 29, 2024. https://gravelocator.cem.va.gov/ngl/result#results-content. 

Changes in Boundaries and Names of the Southwestern Counties with Time. Map. Gathering Blacksburg History. https://gatheringblacksburghistory.org/early-blacksburg-history/. 

Johnson, Elmer D. Radford Then and Now. American Bicentennial Commission. 1975. https://www.radfordva.gov/DocumentCenter/View/416/Radford-Then-and-Now-PDF?bidId=. 

Martin, Tracy A. “Black Education in Montgomery County, Virginia, 1939-1966.” Master’s Thesis. 1996.  Virginia Tech. https://vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/items/b6ca0f1a-f14b-4829-b143-2b222b25fe54. 

“New River Community College.” New River Community College. Accessed March 30, 2025. https://www.nr.edu/.

“Radford Army Ammunition Plant.” U.S. Army. Accessed March 30, 2025. https://www.jmc.army.mil/Radford/History.aspx. 

Radford Community Hospital. Postcard. The Gang from the Old Radford Hospital Facebook Group.

This profile was funded by a grant from the United States Department of Veterans Affairs. The opinions, findings, and conclusions stated herein are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.