The Beacon News (Chicago): Vietnam vet recounts time in Navy, Marines
The night of March 30, 1971, was just like any other. Stationed in Da Nang, Vietnam, Steve Barrett hunkered down his barracks for dinner and then went to sleep. He had no idea that the next day would be one of the worst of his life.
Morning broke with news that the Viet Cong had bombed a train in the mountainous and low visibility area of Hải Vân Pass, resulting in 22 casualties. Barrett was a Navy hospital corpsman, trained to administer medical attention to those in need. Since the Marine Corps did not have medical personnel, Barrett was serving with a Marine unit in Vietnam. Upon hearing the news of the train bombing, he headed to a medevac helicopter with his crew.
“We went into the air and over to the train crash, but as we were coming in to pick up the victims, the enemy hit us with an RPG (rocket launcher) and our helicopter went down,” said Barrett, now a 63-year-old resident of Oswego.
The crash was catastrophic; shrapnel killed four Marines. Barrett was lucky to be alive and suffered serious cuts and a broken back. Thankfully, help was on the way.
“Our Marine unit was there to cover us, and they were able to secure the area in about 30 minutes,” Barrett remembered. “It took us three trips, but we got all of the victims out of there.”
Coming home
Barrett was sent back to the U.S. later that year, at the end of a 13-month tour of Vietnam. He met his wife, Lynne, in his native New Jersey and then traveled cross-country to San Diego to serve Navy sea duty onboard a ship docked on the coast.
In early 1972, just two weeks before he was to be discharged from the Navy, Barrett received bone-chilling orders.
“They told me I was to go to Vietnam again,” he said. “They wanted me to re-enlist. I got on the ship and got as far as Pearl Harbor. I wasn’t going to re-enlist, and they realized that then, so they sent me back to San Diego.”
Barrett was discharged in April 1972. He and Lynne loaded up their car for the long trip back to New Jersey, but decided to stop in Illinois on the way to visit family. They never left.
“My plan was to go to pharmacy school back in New Jersey, but Lynne’s sister lived in Woodridge, and we stopped there for her wedding,” Barrett said. “I was going to go to Rutgers, but the school was confused with my in-state application because I had a San Diego address, so I started school at North Central (College in Naperville) instead and switched to manufacturing engineering and then metallurgy.”
Barrett became interested in computer science and soon landed a job with AT&T. He joined the military reserves just three months after being discharged, and the couple had two children. In 1999, Barrett retired from the military after 20 years of service.
Present day
Today, Barrett is the assistant superintendent for the Veterans Assistance Commission of Kendall County, in Yorkville.
“I really enjoy working with veterans and helping them,” he said. “A lot of these guys have no idea what type of medical compensation they are entitled to on the local, state and federal level.”
Looking back, Barrett said he enjoyed his time in the military.
“I go to my ship reunion every two years,” he said. “It is great; there is a lot of camaraderie.”
Friday, August 12, 2011
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Vietnam in comic book form
From Galesburg.com: Vietnam in comic book form
GALESBURG — Don Lomax transforms a blank page with a black ink drawing pen.
The self-described “inkpot practitioner” is the creator of the comic, Vietnam Journal.
Lomax, 66, of Galesburg offers an honest depiction of the Vietnam War.
The story follows Scott Neithammer, a freelance reporter the troops have nicknamed “Journal.” It chronicles the lives and events of soldiers on the front line during Vietnam.
Lomax was drafted in 1965 and spent 11 months in Vietnam with the 98th Light Equipment Company. The stories he heard, the notes he made and the sketches he drew resulted in the creation of Vietnam Journal.
“The stories go around camp,” said Lomax, who retired from Burlington Northern Railroad in 1984 after 20 years.
But the railroad was a way to pay the bills, said Lomax, the veteran comic artist. He broke into the business after the war with stories in Cavalier and Hustler Humor. His first job was with First Comics where he worked on American Flagg, Starslayer and The Black Flame.
“I’ve always loved comics,” Lomax said. “As a kid, it was all about the scary stuff ... and stuff you knew you shouldn’t be reading as a kid. It was before the Comics Code.”
And then came the underground and non-code magazines, and that’s where Lomax found a home. He sold his first professional work to the undergrounds and non-code magazines.
“It was when magazines were in their heyday,” he said.
Admittedly, Lomax’s style — his images are often violent and the characters’ language rough — didn’t fit the style of the big companies, such as Marvel and DC. Although, Lomax admits working for Marvel for a few years in the early 1990s on what he calls the “assembly line.” He also wrote the later books of Marvel’s series, “The ’Nam,” issues 70 through 84.
But it was his own creation, Vietnam Journal, that would soon consume his creative life.
Lomax was working for Warp Graphics doing a comic entitled, Captain Obese, when the company was bought and the name changed to Apple Press. The owner of the company, Mike Catron, got the idea to do a regular comic about the war. It coincided with the time that movies about the Vietnam War such as “Platoon” and “Full Metal Jacket” were big at the box office.
Lomax was intrigued by the challenge.
So Vietnam Journal was introduced in 1987 by Apple Comics. The series became quickly acclaimed and was nominated for a Harvey Award. It ran for 16 issues before being shelved.
“One reason why it didn’t do well was Apple was a small company and it couldn’t get space,” Lomax said.
The original had several spinoffs, including “Tet ’68,” “Bloodbath at Khe Sanh,” “Valley of Death” and “High Shining Brass.”
Apple did produce two collections in a graphic-novel form, “Indian Country” and “The Iron Triangle” before the company closed when the comic market collapsed in 1994.
That’s when Lomax went back to freelancing cartoons for slick magazines.
Then in 2001, Byron Preiss initiated the start-up of a new publishing house, I-Books, and approached Lomax to reissue Vietnam Journal and “Desert Storm Journal” in graphic-novel form. The company went under shortly after when Preiss was killed in an accident.
“Vietnam Journal,” however, would not die.
Lomax took a beginning webpage design course and launched his own website to tell the rest of his stories.
Then in 2007, Transfuzion Publishing officially launched, and owner Gary Reed contacted Lomax about re-issuing the series to completion.
“They have the print rights, the property is mine,” Lomax said.
Like his series, Lomax also doesn’t see himself ending any time soon.
“I tried to retire once when I as 65. It lasted four hours,” he said.
And he enjoys being able to work from his tidy home that he shares with his wife, Zeny.
“I like the fact that my desk is 20 feet from my bed and 30 feet from my refrigerator,” he said. “I’ve just always had a passion for drawing. I don’t think I could go through the day without doing it.”
On the web:
For more on Don Lomax and “Vietnam Journal,” visit http:/war-stories.com/LomaxComics/index.html
GALESBURG — Don Lomax transforms a blank page with a black ink drawing pen.
The self-described “inkpot practitioner” is the creator of the comic, Vietnam Journal.
Lomax, 66, of Galesburg offers an honest depiction of the Vietnam War.
The story follows Scott Neithammer, a freelance reporter the troops have nicknamed “Journal.” It chronicles the lives and events of soldiers on the front line during Vietnam.
Lomax was drafted in 1965 and spent 11 months in Vietnam with the 98th Light Equipment Company. The stories he heard, the notes he made and the sketches he drew resulted in the creation of Vietnam Journal.
“The stories go around camp,” said Lomax, who retired from Burlington Northern Railroad in 1984 after 20 years.
But the railroad was a way to pay the bills, said Lomax, the veteran comic artist. He broke into the business after the war with stories in Cavalier and Hustler Humor. His first job was with First Comics where he worked on American Flagg, Starslayer and The Black Flame.
“I’ve always loved comics,” Lomax said. “As a kid, it was all about the scary stuff ... and stuff you knew you shouldn’t be reading as a kid. It was before the Comics Code.”
And then came the underground and non-code magazines, and that’s where Lomax found a home. He sold his first professional work to the undergrounds and non-code magazines.
“It was when magazines were in their heyday,” he said.
Admittedly, Lomax’s style — his images are often violent and the characters’ language rough — didn’t fit the style of the big companies, such as Marvel and DC. Although, Lomax admits working for Marvel for a few years in the early 1990s on what he calls the “assembly line.” He also wrote the later books of Marvel’s series, “The ’Nam,” issues 70 through 84.
But it was his own creation, Vietnam Journal, that would soon consume his creative life.
Lomax was working for Warp Graphics doing a comic entitled, Captain Obese, when the company was bought and the name changed to Apple Press. The owner of the company, Mike Catron, got the idea to do a regular comic about the war. It coincided with the time that movies about the Vietnam War such as “Platoon” and “Full Metal Jacket” were big at the box office.
Lomax was intrigued by the challenge.
So Vietnam Journal was introduced in 1987 by Apple Comics. The series became quickly acclaimed and was nominated for a Harvey Award. It ran for 16 issues before being shelved.
“One reason why it didn’t do well was Apple was a small company and it couldn’t get space,” Lomax said.
The original had several spinoffs, including “Tet ’68,” “Bloodbath at Khe Sanh,” “Valley of Death” and “High Shining Brass.”
Apple did produce two collections in a graphic-novel form, “Indian Country” and “The Iron Triangle” before the company closed when the comic market collapsed in 1994.
That’s when Lomax went back to freelancing cartoons for slick magazines.
Then in 2001, Byron Preiss initiated the start-up of a new publishing house, I-Books, and approached Lomax to reissue Vietnam Journal and “Desert Storm Journal” in graphic-novel form. The company went under shortly after when Preiss was killed in an accident.
“Vietnam Journal,” however, would not die.
Lomax took a beginning webpage design course and launched his own website to tell the rest of his stories.
Then in 2007, Transfuzion Publishing officially launched, and owner Gary Reed contacted Lomax about re-issuing the series to completion.
“They have the print rights, the property is mine,” Lomax said.
Like his series, Lomax also doesn’t see himself ending any time soon.
“I tried to retire once when I as 65. It lasted four hours,” he said.
And he enjoys being able to work from his tidy home that he shares with his wife, Zeny.
“I like the fact that my desk is 20 feet from my bed and 30 feet from my refrigerator,” he said. “I’ve just always had a passion for drawing. I don’t think I could go through the day without doing it.”
On the web:
For more on Don Lomax and “Vietnam Journal,” visit http:/war-stories.com/LomaxComics/index.html
Emily Good's father among the 'Camden 28' in Vietnam War era
From Democrat and Chronicle.com: Emily
In the early morning hours of Aug. 22, 1971, under the cover of darkness, several activists broke into a federal building in Camden, N.J.
The group — a collection of clergy, blue-collar and white-collar workers, and students, all of whom opposed the Vietnam War — was part of a national movement known as the "Catholic Left," and once inside, they began destroying draft documents.
But an informant was in their midst, and FBI agents stormed the building. Twenty-eight people were arrested, including a 22-year-old named Bob Good.
Forty years later, Good, a Rochester resident and father of activist Emily Good, still has vivid memories of the raid.
"There were eight of us that went inside," he said. "Others were on the outside with walkie-talkies. I was inside."
But it was the legal proceeding that followed, which became known as the "Camden 28" trial, that captured national media attention and was seen by many as a referendum on the Vietnam War.
A family torn apart
For Good, joining with the activists was an easy decision. Several years earlier, his brother had lost his life in Vietnam. "He wasn't anti-war, and he wasn't pro-war," said Good, 62. "He was an average kid that worked his way through high school and graduated and wanted to get a car and wanted to get a girlfriend."
The draft notice arrived in 1966, and Paul Good shipped off to war. At that early point in the conflict, there were seemingly no options for those who didn't want to fight. No one thought to flee to Canada, and conscientious objection had yet to enter the mainstream, said Good.
"He was drafted, he was trained, he was sent overseas, and six weeks later he was killed," said Good. "Came back just like that."
The death tore the family apart, said Good. Some, including his mother Elizabeth, felt that Paul had died as a patriot, protecting the country from a communist evil.
Good didn't feel the same way. So when the opportunity arose to join the Catholic Left, he jumped at the chance.
"They weren't going to be out there throwing rocks and bombs, but they weren't just going to stand around with the protest signs," said Good. "They were finding a way to do something that would actually be effective on some level."
Hoping to disrupt the draft process in Camden, the group planned a draft office raid for several months in 1971. But one member of the group was feeling uneasy about breaking the law and contacted the FBI.
The trial
The 1973 trial, chronicled in the 2007 documentary The Camden 28, saw most of the activists defend themselves. Though they were potentially facing more than 40 years in jail, the group collectively rejected a last-minute plea offer from the prosecution that would have greatly reduced their sentence.
The defendants testified one after another, saying that most of the equipment for the raid came from the FBI through the informant, suggesting they may not have been able to accomplish the raid without federal resources.
But the most pivotal point of the trial was the testimony of historian Howard Zinn, said Marty Stolar, a defense lawyer for the Camden 28.
Zinn gave a history of civil disobedience and its importance in the American way of life, and then launched into an analysis of the Pentagon Papers, portions of which had been leaked two years earlier.
As he detailed what he saw as the government's true motives behind the Vietnam War — which repeatedly came back to the acquisition of tin, rubber and oil — a cry began emanating from the courtroom audience.
Elizabeth Good was breaking down.
"It was quite dramatic," said Stolar, 68, who now practices in New York City. "She was shrieking. Now, she understood that her son was lost for nothing — for somebody's greed, not for upholding the American way of life."
Elizabeth Good was the next to take the stand.
"I think if our country is attacked, I don't think there is a boy in the country that wouldn't fight for the defense of it ... All of my boys surely would," she said, according to transcripts of her testimony. "But I don't believe in sending them to these places for tin, rubber and oil."
The jury ultimately dismissed the charges against all 28 activists, citing "outrageous government conduct." The trial became a famous example of jury nullification, and according to the documentary, it was the only time in the country's history that a jury dismissed charges on these grounds. The late Supreme Court Justice William Brennan called it one of the great trials of the 20th century.
"It became a forum about the war, and the jury recognized that," said Bob Good. "In the shorthand version, it was: If you feel that all this was right, and the war was right, and all these lives being lost in vain was right, then convict us.
"But even though we were caught red-handed at 4 in the morning — inside the draft board with files all around us — in the end, the jury came back and found us not guilty on all charges."
Good's father among the 'Camden 28' in Vietnam War era
In the early morning hours of Aug. 22, 1971, under the cover of darkness, several activists broke into a federal building in Camden, N.J.
The group — a collection of clergy, blue-collar and white-collar workers, and students, all of whom opposed the Vietnam War — was part of a national movement known as the "Catholic Left," and once inside, they began destroying draft documents.
But an informant was in their midst, and FBI agents stormed the building. Twenty-eight people were arrested, including a 22-year-old named Bob Good.
Forty years later, Good, a Rochester resident and father of activist Emily Good, still has vivid memories of the raid.
"There were eight of us that went inside," he said. "Others were on the outside with walkie-talkies. I was inside."
But it was the legal proceeding that followed, which became known as the "Camden 28" trial, that captured national media attention and was seen by many as a referendum on the Vietnam War.
A family torn apart
For Good, joining with the activists was an easy decision. Several years earlier, his brother had lost his life in Vietnam. "He wasn't anti-war, and he wasn't pro-war," said Good, 62. "He was an average kid that worked his way through high school and graduated and wanted to get a car and wanted to get a girlfriend."
The draft notice arrived in 1966, and Paul Good shipped off to war. At that early point in the conflict, there were seemingly no options for those who didn't want to fight. No one thought to flee to Canada, and conscientious objection had yet to enter the mainstream, said Good.
"He was drafted, he was trained, he was sent overseas, and six weeks later he was killed," said Good. "Came back just like that."
The death tore the family apart, said Good. Some, including his mother Elizabeth, felt that Paul had died as a patriot, protecting the country from a communist evil.
Good didn't feel the same way. So when the opportunity arose to join the Catholic Left, he jumped at the chance.
"They weren't going to be out there throwing rocks and bombs, but they weren't just going to stand around with the protest signs," said Good. "They were finding a way to do something that would actually be effective on some level."
Hoping to disrupt the draft process in Camden, the group planned a draft office raid for several months in 1971. But one member of the group was feeling uneasy about breaking the law and contacted the FBI.
The trial
The 1973 trial, chronicled in the 2007 documentary The Camden 28, saw most of the activists defend themselves. Though they were potentially facing more than 40 years in jail, the group collectively rejected a last-minute plea offer from the prosecution that would have greatly reduced their sentence.
The defendants testified one after another, saying that most of the equipment for the raid came from the FBI through the informant, suggesting they may not have been able to accomplish the raid without federal resources.
But the most pivotal point of the trial was the testimony of historian Howard Zinn, said Marty Stolar, a defense lawyer for the Camden 28.
Zinn gave a history of civil disobedience and its importance in the American way of life, and then launched into an analysis of the Pentagon Papers, portions of which had been leaked two years earlier.
As he detailed what he saw as the government's true motives behind the Vietnam War — which repeatedly came back to the acquisition of tin, rubber and oil — a cry began emanating from the courtroom audience.
Elizabeth Good was breaking down.
"It was quite dramatic," said Stolar, 68, who now practices in New York City. "She was shrieking. Now, she understood that her son was lost for nothing — for somebody's greed, not for upholding the American way of life."
Elizabeth Good was the next to take the stand.
"I think if our country is attacked, I don't think there is a boy in the country that wouldn't fight for the defense of it ... All of my boys surely would," she said, according to transcripts of her testimony. "But I don't believe in sending them to these places for tin, rubber and oil."
The jury ultimately dismissed the charges against all 28 activists, citing "outrageous government conduct." The trial became a famous example of jury nullification, and according to the documentary, it was the only time in the country's history that a jury dismissed charges on these grounds. The late Supreme Court Justice William Brennan called it one of the great trials of the 20th century.
"It became a forum about the war, and the jury recognized that," said Bob Good. "In the shorthand version, it was: If you feel that all this was right, and the war was right, and all these lives being lost in vain was right, then convict us.
"But even though we were caught red-handed at 4 in the morning — inside the draft board with files all around us — in the end, the jury came back and found us not guilty on all charges."
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Vietnam-era bracelet links York woman to lost soldier's family
Seacoastonline.com: Vietnam-era bracelet links York woman to lost soldier's family
By Susan Morse
smorse@seacoastonline.com
August 03, 2011 2:00 AM
YORK — Thirty-six years after the end of the Vietnam War, York resident Ina Helkowsky has finally spoken with the family of the Navy captain whose MIA-POW bracelet she wore for years.
During the early 1970s, students in Los Angeles, Calif., originated the MIA/POW Bracelet Campaign, distributing over five million bracelets of Vietnam military personnel either missing in action or taken prisoner of war, according to miafacts.org. The idea was to honor the veterans, and to wear the bracelet until they, or their remains, came home.
Ina Helkowsky wore a silver bracelet with the name of Cmdr. Roy H. Bowling inscribed in black. Her husband, Bob Helkowsky, stationed at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine, got the bracelet for her, Helkowsky said.
Helkowsky wore the bracelet for years, not knowing who the man was, or what had become of him. In 1975, when the Vietnam War ended, the soldiers, sailors and other veterans started coming home.
"It was televised," said Helkowsky. "As each guy was getting off the aircraft their names were being announced. Mine never did. I continued wearing the bracelet until several years later. Then I stored it. I never knew what happened to this man."
She found out in the mid 1980s, when her children went to Washington, D.C., and visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Bowling's name was listed on the wall. He was killed in action Nov. 17, 1965.
"I did get an etching from the wall," Helkowsky said. "I saved that with the bracelet."
With the advent of personal computers, Helkowsky started doing research online. But it wasn't until this May, while visiting her daughter in Wasilla, Alaska, that their search through Ancestry.com revealed information on Roy's family in San Bernardino, Calif.
"I wrote a short e-mail, (told them) I had the bracelet, and went to bed," she said. "The next morning I checked my mail, lo and behold there was an e-mail from his daughter. She's 51 years old. She sent me a picture of her dad holding her at 2 years old. She never really got to know him. We have been communicating since."
Helkowsky learned Bowling, who went by the name "Hap" for "Happy," was killed Nov. 17, 1965, at the age of 35, when his plane was shot down in North Vietnam. His remains were not sent home until March 1977.
Bowling's widow, now 81, never remarried.
"I'm excited and yet sad at the same time," she said. "I look at pictures and feel so badly for them."
She understands the anguish of having a loved one serving overseas.
When her husband was sent to Thailand for a year during the Vietnam era, "I was a nervous wreck," she said.
Roy's daughter, Merrilee Anker, also had a bracelet with her father's name inscribed on it.
"She wore it so long it kind of fell apart," said Helkowsky.
Helkowsky has decided to send her the bracelet she wore for years.
"I asked her and she was thrilled," she said. "At this point I kind of feel like I know these people. I'm hoping I can keep in touch with them, even if we never get to meet."
By Susan Morse
smorse@seacoastonline.com
August 03, 2011 2:00 AM
YORK — Thirty-six years after the end of the Vietnam War, York resident Ina Helkowsky has finally spoken with the family of the Navy captain whose MIA-POW bracelet she wore for years.
During the early 1970s, students in Los Angeles, Calif., originated the MIA/POW Bracelet Campaign, distributing over five million bracelets of Vietnam military personnel either missing in action or taken prisoner of war, according to miafacts.org. The idea was to honor the veterans, and to wear the bracelet until they, or their remains, came home.
Ina Helkowsky wore a silver bracelet with the name of Cmdr. Roy H. Bowling inscribed in black. Her husband, Bob Helkowsky, stationed at Loring Air Force Base in Limestone, Maine, got the bracelet for her, Helkowsky said.
Helkowsky wore the bracelet for years, not knowing who the man was, or what had become of him. In 1975, when the Vietnam War ended, the soldiers, sailors and other veterans started coming home.
"It was televised," said Helkowsky. "As each guy was getting off the aircraft their names were being announced. Mine never did. I continued wearing the bracelet until several years later. Then I stored it. I never knew what happened to this man."
She found out in the mid 1980s, when her children went to Washington, D.C., and visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Bowling's name was listed on the wall. He was killed in action Nov. 17, 1965.
"I did get an etching from the wall," Helkowsky said. "I saved that with the bracelet."
With the advent of personal computers, Helkowsky started doing research online. But it wasn't until this May, while visiting her daughter in Wasilla, Alaska, that their search through Ancestry.com revealed information on Roy's family in San Bernardino, Calif.
"I wrote a short e-mail, (told them) I had the bracelet, and went to bed," she said. "The next morning I checked my mail, lo and behold there was an e-mail from his daughter. She's 51 years old. She sent me a picture of her dad holding her at 2 years old. She never really got to know him. We have been communicating since."
Helkowsky learned Bowling, who went by the name "Hap" for "Happy," was killed Nov. 17, 1965, at the age of 35, when his plane was shot down in North Vietnam. His remains were not sent home until March 1977.
Bowling's widow, now 81, never remarried.
"I'm excited and yet sad at the same time," she said. "I look at pictures and feel so badly for them."
She understands the anguish of having a loved one serving overseas.
When her husband was sent to Thailand for a year during the Vietnam era, "I was a nervous wreck," she said.
Roy's daughter, Merrilee Anker, also had a bracelet with her father's name inscribed on it.
"She wore it so long it kind of fell apart," said Helkowsky.
Helkowsky has decided to send her the bracelet she wore for years.
"I asked her and she was thrilled," she said. "At this point I kind of feel like I know these people. I'm hoping I can keep in touch with them, even if we never get to meet."
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Danbury's Vietnam War Memorial Chosen for National Monuments Book
Danbury Patch: Danbury's Vietnam War Memorial Chosen for National Monuments Book
Author Col. Albert Nahas, a former U.S. Army Vietnam veteran, wrote "Warriors Remembered," by visiting all 50 states, picking his favorite Vietnam War memorials, and writing a story about each. Danbury's was honored at Tuesday's City Council meeting.
The Danbury memorial was created after two years of conversations in the early 1980s between Richard Cacace a Vietnam veteran, and John Hill, a Vietnam veteran.
That led to five years of fundraising and work from 1982 to 1988, the year it was dedicated on Memorial Day.
"The inclusion of this memorial in "Warriors Remembered," says that this goal was not only achieved locally in the greater Danbury area, but is now being recognized nationally," Cacace said, as he and the Danbury Veterans Council donated a copy of "Warriors Remembered," to the City of Danbury at the City Council meeting.
Cacace thanked Hill, who attended the ceremony, Jim Purcell, a World War II veteran and treasurer for the group, Pat Waldron, the Veterans Services Officer and a Korean War Veteran in Danbury, and Jack Barrows, a Korean War era veteran and artist who drew the memorial, which created the image that was used to raise money for the monument.
The Danbury Veterans Council Color Guard led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and City Council President Joe Cavo thanked them for the book and their service.
"I'd like to thank the veteran's council of Danbury for their hard work through the years. Welcome home. Welcome home," Boughton said.
Author Col. Albert Nahas, a former U.S. Army Vietnam veteran, wrote "Warriors Remembered," by visiting all 50 states, picking his favorite Vietnam War memorials, and writing a story about each. Danbury's was honored at Tuesday's City Council meeting.
The Danbury memorial was created after two years of conversations in the early 1980s between Richard Cacace a Vietnam veteran, and John Hill, a Vietnam veteran.
That led to five years of fundraising and work from 1982 to 1988, the year it was dedicated on Memorial Day.
"The inclusion of this memorial in "Warriors Remembered," says that this goal was not only achieved locally in the greater Danbury area, but is now being recognized nationally," Cacace said, as he and the Danbury Veterans Council donated a copy of "Warriors Remembered," to the City of Danbury at the City Council meeting.
Cacace thanked Hill, who attended the ceremony, Jim Purcell, a World War II veteran and treasurer for the group, Pat Waldron, the Veterans Services Officer and a Korean War Veteran in Danbury, and Jack Barrows, a Korean War era veteran and artist who drew the memorial, which created the image that was used to raise money for the monument.
The Danbury Veterans Council Color Guard led the Pledge of Allegiance, and Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton and City Council President Joe Cavo thanked them for the book and their service.
"I'd like to thank the veteran's council of Danbury for their hard work through the years. Welcome home. Welcome home," Boughton said.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Restoration project brings war relic, memories back to life for veterans
From Minnesota Public Radio News: Restoration project brings war relic, memories back to life for veterans
St. Paul, Minn. — A 46-year-old war relic is being brought painstakingly back to life by a group of Minnesota military veterans. The veterans have volunteered hundreds of hours of their time for almost a year to restore an UH-1H helicopter flown in Vietnam.
Nicknamed the "Huey" -- an iconic symbol of the Vietnam War -- the helicopter will be featured in the "1968 Exhibit" opening this fall at the Minnesota History Center.
With its rounded nose, long body and lifted tail, the Huey looks like some oversized toy insect at a warehouse on the east side of St. Paul, where volunteers have been working on it like surgeons on a patient. Most of the men here are war veterans.
Jay Erickson, an exhibit development technician at the History Center, is leading the Huey project. He said the museum obtained the Huey from an out-of-state salvage yard and brought it to Minnesota in pieces.
The veterans put it back together, then took it apart again and are now rebuilding a scaled-down version.
"This exhibit, '1968,' has to travel around the country and we don't know what we are going to run into at museums," Erickson said. "We are trying to think of the worst-case scenario -- what is the smallest door we'll have to go through."
To plan for travel, each section of this enormous medevac aircraft, which was made to transport troops, must fit easily through a 4 ft.-by-8 ft. door.
Curators chose the Huey because it flew in Vietnam in 1968. They plan to project a film inside the helicopter with sights and sounds from the front lines.
To rebuild the Huey so it looks authentic, Erickson relies on the combined expertise of the volunteers. They served in Vietnam, Korea and World War II.
"Some of these veterans were pilots in Vietnam of Huey helicopters, some of them were mechanics," he said. "They were crew chiefs, they have all kinds of experience."
One of the Huey experts is Darryl LeMire of White Bear Lake, who was a helicopter mechanic with the 101st Airborne. Drafted in 1968, LeMire served in Vietnam until 1970. While he was over there he worked on the same model of Huey that's going into the History Center.
"I really knew them pretty well. There are a few things I have forgotten but I'm surprised by how much I do remember," LeMire said. "Obviously, this isn't going to be an airworthy aircraft, which makes it easier because we can do whatever we want, so that reduces some of the burden."
At lunchtime, the 20 or so volunteers gather around a long cafeteria table and share war stories. The veterans say they keep coming back every week to work on the Huey because of the camaraderie.
In the center of the table are some vintage artifacts that will go on display with the aircraft: Life Magazines, uniforms and other personal mementos from 1968.
Former aircraft mechanic and crew chief Richard Bakke brought in his Vietnam rations, starting with a C-Ration fruitcake, an often-mocked sweet treat, that Erickson requested.
"He wanted this specifically because he felt a lot of guys could relate to it," Bakke said. "Nobody eats it. Poor fruitcake -- it gets a bad rap!"
While fruitcake was rare, Bakke had his fill of the other rations in Vietnam.
"You saw more with pound cake than any other ones," he said. "Pound cake, they had a cinnamon nut roll. This is my most favorite one here, beans with frankfurters."
Bakke's donated rations and other equipment soldiers would have used in Vietnam will be featured in the Huey.
Erickson hopes such personal touches will make the Huey more real -- and inspire veterans who view the exhibit to share their own experiences.
"I think that is the success of this artifact and the exhibit -- that somebody comes up and touches it, and they'll start telling their story and it'll evoke some memories," he said.
In mid-August a crew will move the Huey to the History Center and install it in the gallery. The veterans will then finish detailing the helicopter before the show opens in October.
St. Paul, Minn. — A 46-year-old war relic is being brought painstakingly back to life by a group of Minnesota military veterans. The veterans have volunteered hundreds of hours of their time for almost a year to restore an UH-1H helicopter flown in Vietnam.
Nicknamed the "Huey" -- an iconic symbol of the Vietnam War -- the helicopter will be featured in the "1968 Exhibit" opening this fall at the Minnesota History Center.
With its rounded nose, long body and lifted tail, the Huey looks like some oversized toy insect at a warehouse on the east side of St. Paul, where volunteers have been working on it like surgeons on a patient. Most of the men here are war veterans.
Jay Erickson, an exhibit development technician at the History Center, is leading the Huey project. He said the museum obtained the Huey from an out-of-state salvage yard and brought it to Minnesota in pieces.
The veterans put it back together, then took it apart again and are now rebuilding a scaled-down version.
"This exhibit, '1968,' has to travel around the country and we don't know what we are going to run into at museums," Erickson said. "We are trying to think of the worst-case scenario -- what is the smallest door we'll have to go through."
To plan for travel, each section of this enormous medevac aircraft, which was made to transport troops, must fit easily through a 4 ft.-by-8 ft. door.
Curators chose the Huey because it flew in Vietnam in 1968. They plan to project a film inside the helicopter with sights and sounds from the front lines.
To rebuild the Huey so it looks authentic, Erickson relies on the combined expertise of the volunteers. They served in Vietnam, Korea and World War II.
"Some of these veterans were pilots in Vietnam of Huey helicopters, some of them were mechanics," he said. "They were crew chiefs, they have all kinds of experience."
One of the Huey experts is Darryl LeMire of White Bear Lake, who was a helicopter mechanic with the 101st Airborne. Drafted in 1968, LeMire served in Vietnam until 1970. While he was over there he worked on the same model of Huey that's going into the History Center.
"I really knew them pretty well. There are a few things I have forgotten but I'm surprised by how much I do remember," LeMire said. "Obviously, this isn't going to be an airworthy aircraft, which makes it easier because we can do whatever we want, so that reduces some of the burden."
At lunchtime, the 20 or so volunteers gather around a long cafeteria table and share war stories. The veterans say they keep coming back every week to work on the Huey because of the camaraderie.
In the center of the table are some vintage artifacts that will go on display with the aircraft: Life Magazines, uniforms and other personal mementos from 1968.
Former aircraft mechanic and crew chief Richard Bakke brought in his Vietnam rations, starting with a C-Ration fruitcake, an often-mocked sweet treat, that Erickson requested.
"He wanted this specifically because he felt a lot of guys could relate to it," Bakke said. "Nobody eats it. Poor fruitcake -- it gets a bad rap!"
While fruitcake was rare, Bakke had his fill of the other rations in Vietnam.
"You saw more with pound cake than any other ones," he said. "Pound cake, they had a cinnamon nut roll. This is my most favorite one here, beans with frankfurters."
Bakke's donated rations and other equipment soldiers would have used in Vietnam will be featured in the Huey.
Erickson hopes such personal touches will make the Huey more real -- and inspire veterans who view the exhibit to share their own experiences.
"I think that is the success of this artifact and the exhibit -- that somebody comes up and touches it, and they'll start telling their story and it'll evoke some memories," he said.
In mid-August a crew will move the Huey to the History Center and install it in the gallery. The veterans will then finish detailing the helicopter before the show opens in October.
Vietnam War-era shell explodes, killing 3 farmers
From the Sacramento Bee: Vietnam War-era shell explodes, killing 3 farmers
HANOI, Vietnam -- A Vietnam War-era artillery shell has exploded, killing three farmers who were cutting it up for scrap metal in central Vietnam.
Police say two of the men died at the scene and another died on the way to a hospital following the incident Saturday.
Tieu Viet Thanh, police chief in Binh Chau village in Quang Ngai province, said Monday that the men, who were aged 52 to 55, had collected the 105-millimeter shell near a beach in the village. The village, a former stronghold of North Vietnamese communist forces, suffered bombardment and artillery fire from American and South Vietnamese forces during the war.
Vietnamese government figures show unexploded ordnance has killed more than 42,000 people and wounded some 62,000 since the war ended in 1975.
HANOI, Vietnam -- A Vietnam War-era artillery shell has exploded, killing three farmers who were cutting it up for scrap metal in central Vietnam.
Police say two of the men died at the scene and another died on the way to a hospital following the incident Saturday.
Tieu Viet Thanh, police chief in Binh Chau village in Quang Ngai province, said Monday that the men, who were aged 52 to 55, had collected the 105-millimeter shell near a beach in the village. The village, a former stronghold of North Vietnamese communist forces, suffered bombardment and artillery fire from American and South Vietnamese forces during the war.
Vietnamese government figures show unexploded ordnance has killed more than 42,000 people and wounded some 62,000 since the war ended in 1975.
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