Vietnam War
Vietnam Service Medal
SSGT Donald Dean Alvis, U.S. Army, age 22, date of birth 4/15/1945, date of casualty
2/9/1968, location of casualty Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam. Donald of Hope,
Indiana was a squad leader with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, a part of the Americal
Division. He was wounded Dec. 6, 1967, but later returned to action. He was
reported missing in action in February 1968, and his death on Friday, Feb. 9,
1968, was later confirmed. Donald's name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans
Memorial Panel 38E Row 42.
PFC John Robert Arrington, U.S. Army, age 19, date of birth 12/13/1948, date of
casualty 12/27/1967, location of casualty Phu Yen Province, South Vietnam. John won
170 trophies in go-kart racing since his 12th birthday. He also was on the
Columbus High School state championship swimming team and organized a band while
in high school. He volunteered for the Army at age 17, upon graduation from
Columbus High in 1966. Arrington arrived in Vietnam in September 1967 and served
with the 173rd Airborne Brigade. He was one of 12 Americans killed when his
brigade made a helicopter landing in a jungle of coastal lowlands near Tuy Hoa.
The fight with communist guerrillas lasted nine hours before the guerrillas
retreated. Arrington died of a gunshot wound Dec. 27, 1967. John's name is
inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Panel 32E Row 68.
Robert Dean Barkes, age
22, was
nearing the end of a four-year enlistment in the Air Force in August 1965 when
he was killed in an auto accident near his base at Oscoda, Mich. The 1961
Columbus High School graduate had been married for three years and had a young
son.
John A. Barlow, age 20, had been a
Marine for three years before he was killed in an auto accident while on a pass
from his base in Camp LeJeune, N.C., in 1959. The 1956 Columbus High School
graduate had just completed a tour of duty in Okinawa.
SSGT James Eugene Brewer, U.S. Marine Corps, age 25, date of birth 11/17/1943, date of
casualty 12/8/1968 location of casualty Quang Nam Province, South Vietnam. James
had an
uncomfortable assignment while he was on recruiting duty with the Marines in the
1960s. It was his responsibility to inform next of kin of the death of their
relative during the Vietnam War. Sadly it was an assignment that fell to another
Marine who had to tell his wife and two daughters that he had been killed in
action Dec. 8, 1968, in Vietnam. The 1961 Columbus High School graduate was
awarded the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V for meritorious service.
James' name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Panel 37W Row 61.
Steven D. Burton, age 20, of
Columbus graduated from Columbus High School in 1966 and was drafted into the
Army in August 1966. He worked at Benzol Cleaning Co. He called his parents in
March 1968 while on leave in Formosa. He died of gunshot wounds March 31, 1968.
SP4 Albert L. Campfield, U.S. Army, age 20, date of birth 8/31/1947, date of casualty
1/23/1968, location of casualty Binh Dinh Province, South Vietnam. Albert attended Columbus High School and worked at Hamilton Cosco Inc. before being
drafted in October 1966. He served with Company A, First Battalion, 50th
Infantry, 1st Cavalry Division, and shipped out to Vietnam Aug. 31, 1967, his
birthday. He died Jan. 23, 1968, of wounds received in a fire fight. Albert's
name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Panel 35E, Row 14.
PFC Charles Dennis Chomel, U.S. Marine Corps, age
19, date of birth 8/23/1947, date of casualty 6/11/1967 location of casualty
Quang Tri Province South Vietnam. Dennis graduated from Columbus High School in 1965 and attended electronics school in
Louisville and worked at the Kroger store before enlisting in the Marine Corps.
A member of St. Columba Church, he was in Vietnam for 10 weeks when he was
listed as missing in action June 11, 1967. His death was confirmed about a month
later. He and 10 other Marines were aboard a helicopter when it crashed near
Dong Ha while trying to place reconnaissance personnel. To this date his body
has not been recovered, and he remains on the missing in action list. Charles'
name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Panel 21E Row 87.
"PFC Chomel was on a CH46A
helicopter piloted by Captain Bohlscheid inserting a seven-man USMC force
reconnaissance team into a predestinated area 11.5 nautical miles northwest of
Dong Ha, South Vietnam, right on the Demilitarized Zone. A total of four
aircraft were involved in this mission, two CH46 and two UH1E Gunships. The
flight departed Dong Ha at about 1115 hours and proceeded to the insertion
location. The two gunships made low strafing runs over the landing zone to clear
booby traps and to locate any enemy troops in the area, however, no enemy fire
was received and no enemy activity was noted or observed.
The lead helicopter then began
its approach to the LZ but at an estimated altitude of between 400 and 600 feet
the aircraft was observed to climb erratically, in a similar way to an aircraft
commencing a loop. Machine gun men had been waiting for the opportune time to
fire on the helicopters. Portions of the tail rotor were seen to separate from
the helicopter and radio transmissions received that indicated they had been hit
and were going down away from the action but at this point the helicopter became
inverted and continued out of control until it was seen to crash by a stream in
a steep ravine. Subsequent efforts by ground units to reach the crash site
failed due to a heavy bunker complex surrounding the site. Nearby ground units
inspected the site from within 500 meters through binoculars and observed no
survivors. For the eleven crewmen onboard the Ch46A this day their deaths seemed
a certainty and they were therefore classified as being Killed in Action/Bodies
Not Recovered." (This information from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Virtual
Wall)
PFC
Robert Dean Cody, U.S. Army, age 24, date of birth 12/24/1944, date of
casualty 1/31/1969, location of casualty Dinh Tuong Province, South Vietnam.
Robert attended Columbus High School and worked as a cook at Jerry’s restaurant. A
brother of Cody serving at Fort Story, Va., called home in February 1969 because
he "just felt something was wrong." The parents had tried to contact
their son through the local Red Cross. He was reported dead Jan. 31, 1969, of
wounds received while on a combat operation. He was hit by "friendly"
gunship fire directed at a hostile force. Survivors included his wife. Robert's
name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Panel 33W, Row 25.
Ralph L. Denny, age 21,
was a
married man of one day in March 1963 when he set about his job of checking the
landing gear of an Air Force KC-97 tanker at a base in Labrador. Due to the dark
conditions he was unable to see the airplane propeller which struck and killed
him instantly. The 1959 Columbus High School graduate had been in the service
three years.
SP4 Jerry Wayne Downs, U.S. Army, age 21, date of birth 5/3/1945, date of
casualty 9/19/1966, location of casualty South Vietnam. Jerry graduated from Columbus High School in 1963 and worked at the Master Electric
Division plant before being drafted Oct. 13, 1965. He had written his wife every
day and reported that he was about to go on his first patrol mission and that he
had not seen the enemy in his one month in Vietnam. He trained with the Green
Berets, a light infantry brigade that specializes in mountain and jungle
fighting. A machine gunner with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, Downs died
Sept. 19, 1966, from metal fragment wounds suffered when a Claymore mine
detonated. He was the first Bartholomew County native to die in Vietnam. Jerry's
name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Panel 10E Row 117.
SSGT Franklin Roosevelt DuLong, U.S. Army, age 34, date of birth
11/18/1933, date of casualty 4/28/1968, location of casualty Gia Dinh, South
Vietnam. Franklin had
tried civilian life after he had completed three years of service with the Army
in the early 1960s but after a year decided to return to active duty. He was
shipped to Vietnam where his normal duties were as a helicopter gunner, but on
April 28, 1968, he was assigned a role as observer for a chopper mission. The
helicopter was shot down, and the 34-year-old Azalia native was among those
killed. Franklin's name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Panel 52E
Row 36.
Steven Charles Epperson,
age 27, was career Navy. The Hope native graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1969
with high honors and went on to serve as a flight navigator with the Navy’s
anti-submarine squadron in San Diego. He was killed in October 1974 in an auto
accident near his base in California.
Jeffrey Michael Gossett,
age 22, had graduated from Columbus High School in 1963 and been working at
Cummins
Engine Co. for two years when he enlisted in the Navy. In September 1966 the
Naval airman was killed in an auto accident during heavy rain in New Jersey. He
was survived by a 3-year-old son.
PFC William Earl Hale, U.S. Marine Corps, age 19, date of birth 5/24/1949,
date of casualty 6/6/1968. location of casualty Quang Tri Province, South
Vietnam. William graduated from Columbus High School in 1967 after being manager of the
basketball team in 1966 and a letter winner on the track team in 1967. A member
of St. Luke’s AME Church, he worked at Gene’s Bakery while in high school.
Hale joined the Marine Corps in July 1967 and arrived in Vietnam Dec. 26, 1967,
with E Company 226, 3rd Marine Division. He was killed June 6, 1968, while on
patrol. William's name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Panel 59W
Row 3.
PFC Bruce Randall Harris, U.S. Marine Corps, age 19, date of birth
3/7/1948, date of casualty 1/2/1968, location of casualty Thua Thien Province
South Vietnam. Bruce graduated from Columbus High School in 1966 and joined the Marine Corps in April
1967. He received training in reconnaissance, underwater demolition and
paratrooping and was assigned to the 4th Marines. His father received a will
from Harris two days before Christmas 1967 with instructions not to open it
unless notified by the Marines. He was killed Jan. 2, 1968, by rifle fire when
his unit was ambushed on a reconnaissance mission near Kai Phu Bia, Vietnam. He
died the day a New Year’s truce was signed. Bruce's name is inscribed on the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial Panel 33E Row 18.
Donald Harrison, age 21, was
thinking about making the Army a career after his first three-year enlistment
ended in 1964. He had a wife and 3-year-old daughter and had re-enlisted for a
tour in Germany. On Oct. 30, 1965, the 21-year-old Columbus resident was killed
in an auto accident near his base at Fulda, Germany.
Major Robert Wayne Hayes,
U.S. Air Force, age 34,
(no photo available) date of birth 3/30/1935, date of casualty 10/6/1969,
location of casualty Quang Tin, South Vietnam. Robert a native
of Columbus, moved to Shelby County and graduated from Fairland High School. A
graduate of Ball State University, he was killed Oct. 6, 1969, in the crash of a
C-130 aircraft on which he was the navigator. The plane lost radio and radar
contact as it approached Da Nang. Survivors included his wife and two sons.
Robert's name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Panel 17W Row 45.
QMC James Robert Hunt, U.S. Navy, age 29, date of birth 12/7/1940, date of
casualty 8/23/1970, location of casualty Go Cong Province, South Vietnam. James,
a
1958 graduate of Columbus High School, entered the Navy immediately after
graduation and was assigned to submarine service before volunteering for
Vietnam. He was killed Aug. 23, 1970, when one of two patrol boats he commanded
was hit by enemy rocket and artillery fire near Saigon during a routine patrol.
James' name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Panel 8W row 133.
Name added later to the memorial: SP4 Charles R.
"Bud" Leming, U.S. Army, age 23. date of birth 11/15/1945,
date of casualty 9/6/1969, location of casualty Binh Long Province, South
Vietnam. During July 2002, the Traveling
Vietnam Wall came to Columbus and one of the names on the list from Bartholomew
County was Charles Leming. Somehow this name was not available at the
time of the memorial construction and was omitted. That now has been corrected. Charles
Leming was born and spent most of his 23 years in Connersville, Indiana and
graduated form high school in 1963 and from Indiana University in 1968. He
married Maureen Thomas who was a Columbus High School teacher in 1967-68
and the couple lived in Columbus, Indiana during that year while he completed
his graduation requirements. He went into the service from Columbus in July in
1968 and to Vietnam six months later. Three months later he became a KIA in
Vietnam. Although his ties to Columbus were brief, they met the requirements
established by the committee which certified the names for inclusion on the
memorial. Charles' name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Panel 18W Row 47. (Information supplied by Harry , Associate
Editor of the Republic Newspaper and Memorial Committee Member)
SP4 Joseph Dean Macy, U.S. Army, age 20, date of birth 7/17/1948, date of
casualty 4/13/1969, location of casualty Tuyen Duc, South Vietnam. Joseph enlisted in the Army during his senior year at Columbus High School. He arrived
in Vietnam in February 1967. He died April 13, 1969, from injuries received when
the military vehicle in which he was riding on a mission struck a telephone
pole. Joseph's name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Panel 27Wf row
75.
SP4 Marvin Eugene Monroe, U.S. Army, age 20, date of birth 8/28/1947, date
of casualty 2/9/1968, location of casualty Binh Duong Province, South Vietnam.
Marvin attended
Columbus High School and worked at Davis Auto Sales before being drafted into
the Army in October 1966. He arrived in Vietnam in August 1967 and was killed
in action Feb. 9, 1968. No details were available, but his family believed he
died of gunshot wounds. Survivors included his wife. Marvin's name is inscribed
on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Panel 38E Row 56.
Max A. Mouser, US Navy, date of birth
8/26/1941, date of death 2/1/1975. His name was added to the Bartholomew County
Memorial for Veterans in 2007.
SGT Gary Lynn Pace, U.S. Army, age 23, date of casualty 3/31/1969, location
of casualty Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam. Gary attended
school in Kentucky before moving to Hope to work at Cummins Engine Co. He was
drafted in June 1967 and went to Vietnam in July 1968. He was killed by hostile
gunfire March 31, 1969. Survivors included his wife and infant daughter whom he
was able to see on leave in March 1969 in Hawaii. Gary's name is inscribed on
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Panel 28W Row 100.
SSG Clarence Leroy Palmer,
U.S. Army, age 37,(no photo available) date of birth 11/21/1930, date of
casualty 11/30/1967, location of casualty South Vietnam. Clarence spent much
of his childhood in the Frances Comfort Thomas Children’s Home and after
leaving to join the Army during the Korean War often kept in touch with George
Eckerly of the Welfare Department. He was proud to be the first Bartholomew
County man assigned to Korean duty. He left the military at the end of the war
but "re-upped" during the Vietnam War. He was wounded three separate
times and on Nov. 30, 1967, was killed in the crash of a military transport
plane. Clarence's name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Panel 31E
Row 16.
David W. Schlehuser, age 24, had
been stationed with an Army unit for two years in Spain when he and a friend
took a leave for a short holiday. On June 9, 1964, the 1958 Columbus High School
graduate was washing clothes in the back of his hotel when an out-of-control car
struck and killed him.
PFC Gregory Charles Weisner, U.S. Army, age 21, date of birth 1/27/1947,
date of casualty 2/8/1968, location of casualty Kontum Province, South Vietnam.
Gregory attended local elementary school and graduated from high school while living
with his sister in New Jersey. While in Columbus he played guitar with several
bands, including the Teen Beats and later in a band with John Arrington, who
also was killed in Vietnam. He returned to Columbus to work at Arvin Industries
and enrolled at Embry Riddle Aeronautical Institute at Daytona Beach, Fla. He
was drafted March 16, 1967, and went to Vietnam in August 1967 where he
contracted malaria. He was killed Feb. 8, 1968, by hostile gunfire as he walked
the point for Company C, 1st Battalion, 8th Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. His
squad wrote his mother saying that they owed their lives to him, because he
spotted an ambush and warned the rest of the squad. The writer of that letter,
Dan Phelan, would later make his home in Columbus. Gregory's name is inscribed
on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Panel 38E, Row 41.
Thanks
to Harry McCawley of The Republic Newspaper for furnishing the
photographs of those from Columbus and Bartholomew County, Indiana, who were killed or died during the Vietnam War.
