Hundreds gather for Vietnam Wall ceremony by Anthony Cloud Staff Writer Hundreds gather for Vietnam Wall ceremony As day slowly shifted to night in Middlesboro on Thursday, hundreds gathered into the city parking lot for the opening ceremony for the Traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall. The community heard from several veterans throughout the program, each giving different accounts of their lives during those times. “It’s an honor for me to be able to speak on behalf of my comrades that are here, including the ones on the wall,” said Master Sgt. Bill Smith. Smith entered into service in July 1961 as a combat veteran. He received several service medals during his time in the military. Smith expressed how times were different during the Vietnam war than the majority of other wars. “At the time I went over (to Vietnam) in 1966, we were highly recommended not to wear our uniforms because of the anger and resentment toward the soldiers who fought that war,” said Smith. Smith said he remembers staying in a hole in the ground about 16 feet wide and 8 feet deep with sandbags around him and a tarp over his head. Besides the Viet Cong, soldiers also battled leaches, fire ants, monsoons, snakes and mosquitoes, he recalled. Smith said the war was fought for all Americans. Sgt. Larry Thacker expressed how he felt about times during the Vietnam War. “When I came back (to America), I was determined to go back to Vietnam because at that time America made me sick,” said Thacker. “When we came back it was protest… name calling. That’s alright because you can’t beat a Vietnam veteran.” Thacker also stated some facts about the Vietnam Wall: •There are almost 40,000 names on the wall for people who were under the age of 22 when they died. •The largest age group on the wall is those who were 19-year-old. •There were 997 soldiers killed on their first day in Vietnam. •There were 1,448 who were killed on their last day. •There were three sets of fathers and sons, 31 sets of brothers and eight army nurses on the wall. •There was almost $9 million raised for the Vietnam Wall in Washington D.C. “The main thing that I am so proud of is there is not one dime of government tax money in that wall or the one in Washington D.C.,” said Thacker. Mike Marcum, who served in Vietnam and received several medals, was the driving force behind bringing the wall to Middlesboro, according to Judy Barton, president of Bell County Tourism. Marcum said he wanted to bring the soldiers home with honor. He also expressed how pleased he was with the crowd. “Patriotism is well and alive in Bell, Lee and Claiborne counties,” said Marcum. The thought of what the wall means went through his mind as the wall was set up, he said. “It means sacrifice, it means honor, it means respect… and yet it means division amongst our country,” said Marcum. “The country was probably the most divided since the civil war.” “I cannot put a meaning on the wall,” said Marcum. The ceremony also consisted of patriotic songs from John and Beth Parker and Larry and Karen Blondell. The Middlesboro Junior ROTC performed the POW/MIA table ceremony and the National Guard gave the Twenty One Gun Salute. Sgt. Dillard Barton Jr. played taps. Sgt. Larry Thacker Jr. read the proclamation proclaiming Aug. 1 as Bell County Vietnam Veterans Day. “The real VIPs tonight are the 58,282 names on the wall and the combat veterans,” said Barton. Out of the 58,282 names on the wall, 39 were from Claiborne County, Tenn., Lee County, Va., and Bell County. Those names are: Thomas Albert Ball, Thomas A. Barrett, Leon Edward Barnard, Arnold Lee Brock, Gary Kendall Cook, Scott Claymon Delph, Jesse Leonard Ellis, Lonnie Evans, Donald Fred Fee, Lorenza Gayles, Charles David Goforth, Bobby Ray Hatfield, Henry Jackson, Robert Bruce Johnson, Samuel Johnson Jr., Thomas Lawson Jr., Carl Wade Lawson, Alfred Lee, Charlie Murphy Leonard, Larry Dale Love, James Allen Miner, James Miracle Jr., Wince Isaac Overton Jr., Ronnie Ray Pittman, Olen Wesley Rasnic, Thomas Glen Richmond, John Riddle, Jimmie Henry Rowlett, Danny Roy Simpson, Don Smith, Harold Sullivan, Roscoe Sybert, Ray Taylor, Alonzo Teague, James Walter Tuttle, Dan Widner Jr., Charles Edward Ward, James Harold Watson and Homer West. Reach Anthony Cloud at 606-248-1010, ext. 208, acloud@civitasmedia Read more: The Harlan Daily Enterprise - Hundreds gather for Vietnam Wall ceremony
Posted on: Sat, 03 Aug 2013 11:32:54 +0000
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