South Dakota XXV

As I wondered around South Dakota with no particular itinerary, as I have mentioned before, I ran across several memorials in some of the towns.

Howard was one of them and you can see one of the early posts from there, here.

Marlin Joseph Callies

LCPL Marlin Callie was a Rifleman with the Marines in the Quang Tri Province. On July 7, 1968, he died of wounds received from "other explosive device..." in an attack on his defensive position.

Tommy Leon Callies

Capt. Tommy Leon Callies was the pilot of a Phantom jet shot down over the Quang Ngai Province during a bombing run. His body has never been retrieved south of Quang Ngai city..

These two men Captain and Corporal from the same town of Howard were related. Even though their ages were quite close they were 1st cousins once removed. What strikes me is that these two were from a town of around 1,000 residents. I have only found three from Howard that were lost.

Roger W. Kvernes

LTC Roger Kvernes was killed in a helicopter crash at Bac Lieu on February 2, 1970.

Next time on Jun 2nd, we will return to Tennessee, so join me, as always, at 9 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 ( now two) 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.

South Dakota XXIV

Some time ago, I posted from Garretson, S.D. a town of a little over 1,200 people as of the 2020 census. You can see that post here.

There were only four names on their memorial and today, I will honor two of them. 

William L. Hill

Pfc Hill was on guard duty when he stepped on a land mine in Gia Dinh Province. He was lost om May 1, 1968. His body was recovered and is buried in South Dakota. His full profile reads that he was killed by "misadventure" "Friendly fire" I wonder if that means the mine was one of ours, or something else?

Robert V. Reker

LCpl Reker was only in 'Nam two months before he was killed by "hostile" "fragmentation" wounds. He was lost at Quang Nam Province on June 13, 1969.

Next time, on August 10th, we will return to Tennessee, to honor others so worthy of our admiration and never ending respect. Join me there, at 9:00 am., as always.

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!  

South Dakota XXIII

So, today I am here to make a correction.

A short time ago I posted about a memorial that I said was from North Dakota, even though at the time I said that there was some confusion (only on my part) about that.

The pictures had been sent to me by Molly Macdonald and I misinterpreted something she said in her note.

These pictures which I am re-posting here, where they belong, are actually from South Dakota.

Taken in Belle Fourche, they honor those who served in Vietnam

                                                     Photo by: Molly Macdonald

                                                    Photo by: Molly Macdonald

An interesting note about this particular memorial is that well over $1,000 was raised by Middle School students collecting pennies to help fund it.

Also, Belle Fourche happens to be the geological center of the United States and there is a beautiful memorial noting that here, too, among several other memorials in Memorial Park.

Geographic Center of the U.S. Photo by: Molly Macdonald

So, with apologies to my readers and Molly, I will say that I finally got this right. It has always been important to me to be as accurate as possible when "placing" memorials so that if anyone is ever interested they might visit them in person. I have commented in the past about how much misinformation there is out there about these memorials, so I want you to be able to locate them more easily that I have on occasion.

Next time, on the 27th, we will return to Texas where yet another reader has recently sent me some photos. Join me there, as always, at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from South Dakota, or any other state, please click on the state name on the left side of this page. 

I will ask, as I do at the end of nearly every post now, for anyone who has pictures of Vietnam memorials not seen here to please send them to me. I will give you full photo credit for the pic and any information about it you may know. Check your state, or anywhere you may have visited, from the list at the left, or any place else. Please send them to the email at the left or directly to me at Ldddad@comcast.net. 

Several of you have followed through in the recent weeks and helped me to continue spreading info about how we honor our brothers and sisters who served in 'Nam, thank you again, and please to everyone else, keep writing!

South Dakota XXII

I am on the road for the first time since Covid shut me down, so this one will be unusually quick.

I was able to find a couple of faces from the memorial at Howard, you can see the original post here.

The memorial, like so many in small towns, honors all who served, whenever they did so, but these two faces are designated as Vietnam.

In 2020 Howard had a population of 754. As I often say, It is amazing what small towns do for their vets. 

Well done, Howard.

Next time, on the 26th, we will make a return to Texas, so meet me there, as always, at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from South Dakota, or any other state, please click on the state name on the left side of this page.

South Dakota XXI

About 100 miles northwest of Sioux Falls is the town of Woonsocket and I have written about it previously on this site.

They have a really nice war memorial here that highlights the service and sacrifice of their sons and daughters.

I wanted, today, to once again highlight the faces of some who are remembered here.

 

Here the face of a Sailor, not designated to any particular war, is honored and remembered. He could be anybody from any war.

These pictures were taken before I had created the Faces of Remembrance subgroup of A Means to Heal so I am cropping them out of larger shots. therefore the quality varies. That being said they deserve no less honor and tribute.

This guy is designated as a Vietnam soldier and his expression seems to me to be the only thing needed to tell his story.

There are other faces here too and as I have often said, I am astounded at what small places do for their own. 

Almost unbelievably Woonsocket has a population of 665 as of the last census. Absolutely stunning. Well done!

Next time, on the 27th, we will return to Virginia, so join me there at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from south Dakota, or any other sate,  please click on the state name on the left side of this page.

South Dakota XX

Hurley, South Dakota represents another of those great stories about small towns.

This memorial, in a park, sits on Central Street and honors all who served. It is not a specific Vietnam memorial but it was just so neat I wanted to include it here.

Hurley has a population of 415 as of the 2010 census and they were dedicated and determined enough to find a way to honor their vets.

Nearby, this stage says it all.

 

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

To see additional memorials from South Dakota, or any other state, click the state name on the left side of this page.

South Dakota XIX

While cruising through South Dakota, I came upon the veterans cemetery in Mitchell. While it is, like all such cemeteries, not specific to Vietnam, I did find some markers and statues that honor our brothers and sisters.

This soldier is not labeled as a Nam vet, but his attire and gear make me think he probably is. 

This guy surveys the whole area.

Another soldier stands his lonely guard. No designation, but once again I think the gear makes him one of us.

And, finally, one we can be sure of.

On the 11th, I hope to have a special, more personal story to tell, so check back then, this time at 11 minutes after 11 o'clock.

To see other memorials from South Dakota, or any other state, click on the state name on the left side of this page.

South Dakota XVIII

On the day I was just tooling around South Dakota I came upon several unknown memorials.

This one, in Howard, like so may in small towns represents and honors all. True, it is not specifically a Vietnam memorial but some of the figures are easily recognizable as our brothers and sisters. Small towns as I have said a number of times before just do not have the resources to create memorials for every war.

Howard, the little I saw of it consisted of one building divided in to two places of business. I walked into one, a small diner like place, and spoke with a couple of guys who, it turns out were vets. While they were quite proud of their memorial they could not give me too many details about it.

There are no names listed here, but, I was able to track down three names from Howard that were lost in 'Nam.

Mia's are not neglected.

Nor, are today's.

Howard has a population, depending upon which source you use, of 822 or 858 and has been decreasing in the last several censuses, so for them to build this great site deserves our respect and thanks.

This memorial may be found at the intersection of Hwy 34 and S. Main Street.

Next time, on the 28th, we will meet again in Washington, so join me there, a always, at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from South Dakota, or any other state, click the state name on the left side of this page.

South Dakota XVII

As is so often the case, while driving around South Dakota I rolled into a number of small towns. These places rarely have the resources necessary to build memorials to every conflict in which we participate. so, they build what are often called "multi-war" memorials to honor all those who served or were lost over the years.

This one is in Woonsocket and honors many and lists their names from WWI through Vietnam.

I have a little knowledge about what building a memorial entails. Hours and hours of planning and preparation and thousands and thousands of dollars. the specifics of this site, I cannot quote, but I do know that life sized statues run roughly $80,000 a piece, so you can rest assured that this memorial was expensive. I say all this to make a point, the population of Woonsocket, South Dakota is 720. Nope, that's not a mistype, 720 folks determined to make this memorial happen and did so.

Note the dates listed on the right side of this panel. It seems to average out to about 20 years per war, one per generation. I have often said that one generation goes to war so that perhaps their children will not have to do so, I guess not.

This guy seems to be our representative at the site.

Those of you who follow along with me know that I like to take "portraits" of any individuals I find along the way.

The sculptor was certainly able to capture some of the horror of war in his face.

This is another of those sites about which I cannot find a single word. As always, if you know something, I would love to hear it. you can reach me in the "comments ' section below or, privately, with the email to the left.

Next time, on the 19th, we travel back to Texas, so join me there, as always, at 9:00am.

To see additional memorials from South Dakota, or any other state, click the state name on the left side of this page.

South Dakota XVI

I drove around South Dakota on a free day. I stumbled on to several memorials that I had been unaware of at the time. This is not unusual as there is no central database of Vietnam memorials. The V.V.A. tried for some time to compile the data but eventually had to give up. Someday, I would like to see this accomplished. For now, I hope that this site will serve as a beginning.

Huron had a memorial in a park for about 20 years that very few knew about and when a nearby building needed expansion, it was decided to more the memorial to a more public place. The memorial honors those who perished in our most recent wars and was recently updated to include those lost in the middle east.

The Vietnam portion lists the 10 from the area who made the ultimate sacrifice.

The town has plans to add statues and a wall listing all who served from the area, but as of 2014 work had not been started. I'll post more as I learn it.

Huron is located in Beadle county and the memorial may be found on the corner of Wisconsin Ave. and 3rd Street.

Our next stop, on the14th, will be back in Texas.  So, join me there, as always, at 9:00am.

To see other memorials from South Dakota, or any other state, click the state name on the left side of this page.

South Dakota XV

I had a little time, so I thought I would drive out to Devil's Gulch, where Jesse and Frank James evaded a posse in hot pursuit by jumping the gulch. Well, it was a little difficult to find and then when I did, it didn't seem as if the average horse would have much trouble jumping it. I think they got away because they jumped from Minnesota into South Dakota, but that is really just a guess.

I decided just to cruise through the town of Garretson, SD just to see if maybe there was a memorial in the town. I hadn't driven but three or four blocks when I came upon this multi-war memorial near the corner of 2nd and Main.

The wind was blowing pretty hard, you can see that the flag pole is under some stress.

As with all multi-war sites, several involvements are honored here, Vietnam is on the top right side with the four from the area who were lost named and honored forever.

So, a side trip to check out Jesse James lead me to a memorial to four of our brothers. I have learned not to be surprised by what I find on this journey.

Next time, on April 26th, we will once again, visit Texas, so join me there at 9:00am, as always.

To see other memorials from South Dakota, or any other state, click the state name on the left side of this page.

South Dakota XIV

This final post from Vietnam in our words will highlight just a few more components of this great exhibit. Housed in the Old Court House Museum in Sioux Falls it is well worth a visit if you find yourself in this beautiful part of the country. I do not know if this is a permanent display of if it is traveling so you might want to check that out before you go.

Guest books are scattered on some tables throughout the displays. I read only a few as, somehow, they seemed private to me. I know that is illogical, but it is how I felt.

The page on the left asks for info about a particular soldier and the one on the right is from a child, talking about her great grand father who,it appears, may have fought in WWII.

A Peace pin handed to a returning soldier in San Francisco.

A Purple Heart awarded to a soldier and donated to the exhibit by his family.

 

Field Crosses, in-country.

To end this tour on a less somber note, here is an example of typical American humor. One of the places I was was Vung Tau and the guys there had a big sign on one of the barracks saying, "Vung Tau Stables," though I must say that this one is much more elaborate it still reflects our need for humor in any and all situations.

Next time, on the 27th, we return to Texas. Join me there, as always, at 9:00am.

To see more memorials from South Dakota, or any other state, click the state name on the left side of this page.

South Dakota XIII

Wandering through the many exhibits at the Old Court House Museum in Sioux Falls, reveals any number of interesting sights and details. In this third post from there I will highlight just a few.

"Sand bags" and photos tell some of the story of everyday life. I was briefly in charge of a sand bag filling operation while on light duty due to a severe infection of some, still, unknown origin. We filled thousands and thousands of these ubiquitous reminders of ever present danger, but I never saw them placed. It makes you very aware of the magnitude of the efforts to protect ourselves and our people, equipment and facilities.

The state has an exhibit touting the beautiful memorial in Pierre. Each vet who attended was given one of the special License plates shown here to proudly display on their cars.

This will surely bring back some memories. In an effort to not give away position, dog tags were often taped together or one laced in a boot and the other around your neck. We used band-aids as they were easier to come-by than tape.

 

More of the story is told on a nearby panel and as you may know, eventually "tags" were edged with rubber or plastic (I never had any of these so I am not sure which) eliminating the need for rubber bands, tape, or band-aids.

Those that participated in the interviews for Vietnam in our words are given recognition throughout the displays.

Next time, on the 22nd, we will visit the last few exhibits from this site. Join me at 9:00am on the 22nd.

To see additional memorials from South Dakota, or any other state, click the state name on the left side of this page.