Veterans Day 2025

I know that I promised a post from Hawai'i, but opted, instead, to honor Veterans Day first. This will post at 11:11 am. to honor the signing of the Armistice ending WWI. November 11th was originally called Armistice Day, honoring that momentous event.

A Means to Heal actually attempts to both honor those who served and those who were lost. Many memorials around the country honor the lost and those still MIA but, over the years more and more sites go out of their way to honor all who served. If you browse this site (and I hope you do) you will find many memorials that actually do both. 

I try each year to come up with something fitting to pay tribute to all who served. 

Each year The Department of Veterans Affairs creates a new Veterans Day honors ALL WHO SERVED no matter when or where. Confusion still seems to exist concerning this. I am not sure why but it does. So, once again, Veterans Day honors all, Memorial Day honors those who paid the highest price for their country and Armed forces Day honors all who are serving.

Below is this years rendering. It was created by a vet, Jeremy D. Carpenter. I could do no better than this.

By the way, if you go to the Department of Veterans Affairs you can see older posters.

      WWW.VA.gov

 

Next time, on November 16th, we will return to Hawai'i, as previously promised, so join me there, as usual, at 9:00 am.

To see additional memorials from any state, please click a state name on the left side of this page. Please note that Canada, Ireland, and Puerto Rico have been added to the list.

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Mike from Maryland, Ron from Florida, Tim from Virginia and Molly from Florida, Colleen from Pennsylvania, and very soon Elli from Maryland, among others, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. I even got one from Ireland! These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here. Thanks, once again, to all who have contributed.

I hope this will encourage you to join the group and get your photos up on A Means to Heal.

Georgia XXV

In New Spalding, Georgia there is a roadside park with a number of memorials present. The names of thirteen fallen from 'Nam are listed along side heroes from the Korean war. 

You can see my original past from the site here.

Today, I will highlight a few of the fallen honored here.

James Terry Coggins

PFC James Coggins was lost to hostile small arms fire om June 28th, 1968. As is so often the case, I can find nothing else about this hero. There are several sites on-line that give basic information, but in fact, they all seem to say the same thing. 

It just feels like they deserve more,  

Willie Gene Gaddy

PFC Willie Gaddy took his buddy's place as point on a patrol. He was dead within hours. The friend survived the war and remembers him daily. As usual, little detail available.

Charles Wayne Hall

PFC Charles Hall was lost at Binh Dinh on November 7, 1968. He was awarded a Meritorious Service Award from the government of South Vietnam, but I can, as always, find no details about this.

I think I realized today why I choose to only include three names in these posts. It just makes me too sad ( not to mention angry) to think that we know so little about young men and women who gave up their lives in this war.

And we just move on.

Next time on November 16th, after a Veterans Day tribute on the 11th, we will return to Hawai'i and additional faces to honor, so join me there, as usual at 9:00 am. 

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Mike from Maryland, Ron from Florida, Tim from Virginia, Molly from Florida, Colleen from Pennsylvania, Elli from Maryland, and Peg and Ray from Florida, among others, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. I even got one from Ireland! These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served and/or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.

I hope all those listed here will encourage you to send along photos and join the group.

Florida XXVIII

It is with the utmost pleasure that I return to my original project today, writing about actual memorials. I love highlighting some of the brave men and women who are honored at these sites, but my original idea was to share actual memorials with those who might not be able to travel to see them all. So, today, back to Florida and an actual Wall of names.

The last time I posted about Florida, I featured pictures from Peg and Ray who kindly forwarded dozens of shots from a large museum.

Central Florida Vietnam Veterans created the National Vietnam War Museum not too far from Orlando in 1982 and later renamed it for Cpl. Larry Smedley.

You can see that post here.

Today, a few pics of the Wall that features the names of a number of soldiers. There is no "key" to tell if these soldiers were lost, MIA or served, but every one of the several I checked were, in fact, KIA.

There is way more material here worth presenting and I will do so as time moves on. I could probably write a dozen posts just from the material Peg and Ray sent me. Thanks again!

Next time on November 8th, we will return to Georgia and additional faces to honor, so join me there, as usual at 9:00 am. 

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Mike from Maryland, Ron from Florida, Tim from Virginia, Molly from Florida, Colleen from Pennsylvania, Elli from Maryland, and Peg and Ray from Florida, among others, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. I even got one from Ireland! These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served and/or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.

I hope all those listed here will encourage you to send along photos and join the group.

Delaware XXX

I posted about Milford, Delaware a while back. You can see that post here. Today, the three lost from the town. 

James H. Johnson

Capt. James Johnson was killed while traveling in a convoy near the Cambodian border on October 3, 1963. The VC ambushed them and the Captain and 8 Vietnamese solders were killed. they were lost in the Quang Duc Province. 

Wayne C. Jester

PVT Wayne Jester was lost on April10, 1968 in Binh Thuan Province. He was lost to "small arms" "hostile" fire. No other information was found.

So sad how little we know or remember. 

Donald Lee Gibson

Sp4 Donald Gibson was killed on July 19, 1968 at Gia Dinh Province. His records say "hostile"..."other explosive device.." I am not clear on exactly what that means. It could be a bomb, grenade, rocket among others. the records are not clear.

Again, way too little information. 

Next time on November 3rd, we will return to Florida and an actual memorial, so join me there, as usual at 9:00 am. 

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Mike from Maryland, Ron from Florida, Tim from Virginia, Molly from Florida, Colleen from Pennsylvania, Elli from Maryland, and Peg and Ray from Florida, among others, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. I even got one from Ireland! These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served and/or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.

I hope all those listed here will encourage you to send along photos and join the group.

 

Connecticut XIX

I have told the story of the Connecticut Vietnam memorial in Coventry and the local Coventry memorial before. You can see those posts here and here,

Today, as I have been doing so often lately, I want to feature the names from the local Coventry memorial.

  

Roger William Heinz

Maj. Roger William Heinz was a Chaplain and a passenger on a chopper when it crashed. All but one were killed in the Quang Ngai Province on December 9, 1969. Maj Heinz is one of the thirteen Chaplains killed in Vietnam. he is buried in Arlington National Cemetery.

 

Michael Allen Machie

 LCPL Michael Machie was killed in battle on May 31, 1968 in the Quang Tri Province. the following, I took from a tribute on the Wall of Faces, left by a friend

"...That was the last time I saw him. I carried one of the wounded to a chopper and he told me Mike was killed. I broke down and cried. My squad leader asked me what was wrong. I told him about Mike and said that's what you get for having friends. God bless you Michael!!!..." 

Also listed on this memorial are Robert Nothrick who was an "Era" vet who died while in service in 1967. I could not find details about his death except that he was 20 years old and died in Minnesota.

In addition:

Sp4 Lawrence Archambault is listed. I can find nothing at all about him.

If you know anything about either of these two lost soldiers, both listed on the Coventry Vietnam memorial I would love to hear from you.

Next time on the 29th we will return to Delaware, so join me there, as usual at 9:00 am. 

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Mike from Maryland, Ron from Florida, Tim from Virginia, Molly from Florida, Colleen from Pennsylvania, Elli from Maryland, and Peg and Ray from Florida, among others, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. I even got one from Ireland! These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served and/or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.

I hope all those listed here will encourage you to send along photos and join the group.

 

Colorado XLV

I just love the memorial in Aurora Colorado. Designed to mimic the mountains, the last vets would see as they left for 'nam and the first on the way home, it honors many.

I had planned to feature some names taken directly from one of my photos. I started checking them out on the VVMF Wall of Faces site and, oddly I thought, could not find them. I thought I had discovered an error in the records keeping.

Silly me. 

Well further investigation showed me that the memorial in Aurora is not only a Vietnam memorial but one to all from the area over many, many years. Over 6,000 in all. 

A different search method uncovered quite a few from Aurora lost in 'Nam, just not those I happened to focus on during my visit. 

Today, just a representative few.

Thomas Barber

Airman Thomas Barber was a crew member on a plane searching for submarines. The plane lost contact with land and never heard from again. Some wreckage was found but the reason for the loss was never determined. All crew members were lost and presumed dead. He is still listed as MIA.

 

Sp4 Joseph Cornelison was a chopper mechanic based in Bien Hoa. On April 26, 1969 the chopper he was a crew member to was lost, shot down on a mission in Cambodia.

On April  26, 1969 Sp4 Cornelison died. He was not on the chopper. He was in Bien Hoa. His death was classified as a suicide or self inflicted injury.

This is another of those stories that is even sadder for the fact that it is even more useless than the other tragedies of that war.

Richard L. Davis

Sp4 Richard Davis was lost on June 22, 1969 when his mobile antiaircraft weapon (called a "Duster") hit a mine.

I spend a lot of time searching for photos and info about these heroes that I highlight here. It saddens me that so very little information is available and that better photos are not provided. These men and women should be better treated, remembered, honored, in my view. 

Next time on the 24th we will return to Connecticut, so join me there, as usual at 9:00 am. 

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Mike from Maryland, Ron from Florida, Tim from Virginia, Molly from Florida, Colleen from Pennsylvania, Elli from Maryland, and Peg and Ray from Florida, among others, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. I even got one from Ireland! These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served and/or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.

I hope all those listed here will encourage you to send along photos and join the group.

California LI

It is nice today to be back, if even briefly, to my original goal of writing about memorials. 

Today, from Westminster, California a memorial built by the large Vietnamese population there. I have posted before about the memorial honoring American and Vietnamese partners and at the site in the ensuing years several additional memorials have been added. 

You can see the first memorial honoring Americans and Vietnamese here.

This adjacent memorial honors the 74 Vietnamese lost in a sea battle with China in January of 1974.

In reading more about this Battle of the Paracel Sea, it is hard to connect it to the war in 'Nam except that the dates coincide. Also, as I will point out in a future post, there are several plaques seen in the third picture address U.S. involvement in some way or another. It is confusing, but, war always is.

Next time on the 19th we will return to Colorado, so join me there, as usual at 9:00 am. 

If you are following along at all, you will have seen that a number of you, like Joan from Wisconsin, Tony from Texas, Mike from Maryland, Ron from Florida, Tim from Virginia, Molly from Florida, Colleen from Pennsylvania, Elli from Maryland, and Peg and Ray from Florida, among others, have responded to my request to send me memorials you have seen in your area or where you may have traveled. I even got one from Ireland! These submissions help expand the knowledge of how we have remembered the men and women who served and/or were lost in 'Nam and you help to honor them. If you have any such photos, I would love to see them. Please send them along to the email at the left and I will gladly share them here.

I hope all those listed here will encourage you to send along photos and join the group.