Vietnam vets salute brothers
Members of the Vietnam Veterans of Carbon County during a ceremony to honor their living and fallen brethren on Thursday, Vietnam Veterans Day, the anniversary of the final U.S. combat troops being ordered out of Vietnam. From left: Bob Marzen, Carl Haydt, Dennis Ockenhouse, Pete Stidham, Rudy Balas, Jim Hill Sr. and Frank Bokan. Scan this picture with the Prindeo app to see a video of the three-gun volley and taps at the ceremony. BRIAN W. MYSZKOWSKI/TIMES NEWS
Members of the Vietnam Veterans of Carbon County during a ceremony to honor their living and fallen brethren on Thursday, Vietnam Veterans Day, the anniversary of the final U.S. combat troops being ordered out of Vietnam. Front, from left: Bob Marzen, Carl Haydt, Dennis Ockenhouse, Pete Stidham, Rudy Balas, Jim Hill Sr. Frank Bokan stands in the back. See Page 8 for complete coverage. BRIAN W. MYSZKOWSKI/TIMES NEWS
Vietnam Veterans of Carbon County Chaplain Dan Bauer, center, offers a prayer for Vietnam Veterans Day, with Former Post Commander Harry J. Wynn III, left, and current Commander Robert Paul, right.
It has been 45 years since the last United States combat troops were ordered to leave Vietnam.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of Vietnam War Day and Vietnam War Month.
To this very day, the men of Vietnam Veterans of Carbon County march on to pay homage to their brethren, living or fallen, for their service and sacrifice.
“I think our events went off great. We went to 20 different places, some parts of Schuylkill, most of Carbon, the lower end of upper end, and we had 13 or 14 guys stick around for the program. I think we did an excellent job. This is what we went out to do, to honor all of our Vietnam vets, and tell them we remember their service and sacrifice during the Vietnam War,” Past Commander Harry J. Wynn III said. “We’re brothers in arms, all of us.”
A north and south group toured various sites throughout the area, where they paid homage to former servicemen throughout the branches of the military.
“We fired three volleys, either at a memorial site or cemetery, and afterward we played taps. It was a very special event. We had a lot of fun, but it was very serious at the same time because we were paying respect to our brothers who died not only in Vietnam and other wars, but also our brothers who died of natural causes,” Commander Robert Paul said.
After a stop at the PFC. Clyde R. Houser building on Third Street in Lehighton, the veterans arrived at the Lehighton American Legion.
The program concluded with prayers from Chaplain Dan Bauer and a memorial for the 14 servicemen from Carbon County who were killed in action and the deceased members of the chapter.
The firing squad’s three-gun volley, followed by taps, served as a somber ending to the memorial.
Wynn said that the veterans come together for the camaraderie, to discuss the old times and the war.
Paul hopes that civilians can recognize the service that these men paid to their country, and honor them for protecting the values of the country at a difficult time in history.
“When we went in, we were 17, 18, 19 years old, and there was never a second thought to put a weapon in our hands. We of the United States military stand proud to uphold our Constitution,” Paul said.
That dedication is still alive and well in the members of the Vietnam Veterans, and it will be for their entire lives, Wynn said.
“Our gentlemen here, our veterans, they’re proud veterans that served our country during a tumultuous time in the Vietnam War. They served their country then, they’re still serving now, and they’ll continue to serve. They would come back and serve again, and I would myself. And I know these guys, if they were needed, they would come back. I know we’re a little older, but we’d give them a fight.”
