Friends mourn loss of Vietnam War vet found dead in Myrtle Beach house fire

A man known as “Pops” by his neighbors was found dead inside a Myrtle Beach duplex that was destroyed by fire Sunday morning.

The 77-year-old man was identified as Grady Hoyle Queen, Jr. - a veteran of the Vietnam War who was held captive two years in the southeast Asian country during his service, according to his caregiver and friend, Joyce Boston.

An autopsy was conducted Monday, but Horry County Chief Deputy Coroner Tamara Willard said it will be 12 weeks before they can determine his exact cause of death as they await results on toxicology, tissue and carbon monoxide tests.

Boston said she had been unofficially taking care of Queen for the past four years. She was with him Sunday morning before she left for church, she said. “He was sleeping on the couch when I left to go to church. I don’t know exactly what happened, if he tried to get out or what, but this has got me tore up.”

Boston’s eyes welled with tears as she collected the mail from his box in front of the charred home still cordoned off by police tape Monday afternoon.

“He was in Vietnam,” she said, adding that she worries Queen won’t be recognized for his service since he had no paper proof of it while she knew him. “I think he should have a proper burial with a flag. ... He’s a Vietnam vet and nobody’s ever even recognized that.”

The Myrtle Beach Fire Department responded to the structure fire at 11:10 a.m. Sunday at 403 Chester St. Firefighters arrived to find heavy smoke and fire showing from the home’s exterior, said Lt. Christian Sliker of MBFD.

Crews battled fierce winds to extinguish the blaze fueled by the gales, bringing the fire under control within an hour.

Queen’s neighbor, Victoria Bodmer, said she arrived home after getting off work at 11:15 a.m. and saw heavy smoke in the area. Firefighters were already on scene.

“He was a really nice person,” Bodmer said, adding that she only knew him in passing, but was sad to hear of his death.

The Myrtle Beach Police Department is investigating the cause of the fire.

This story was originally published February 8, 2016 at 9:55 AM with the headline "Friends mourn loss of Vietnam War vet found dead in Myrtle Beach house fire."