Roses honor Mahoning County’s fallen from Vietnam War

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George Otto, service officer for the American Legion who specializes in Veterans Mental Health, lays a rose for a local soldier killed or missing-in-action in the Vietnam War at the VIetnam War Memorial in the Federal Plaza Sunday, November 2, 2008. Daniel C. Britt.

By Sean Barron

YOUNGSTOWN - Nida Rentas and John O. Oquendo Jr. were best friends during and after their days as students at Campbell Memorial High School.

More than 40 years later, Rentas fondly remembers how some fellow students referred to Oquendo as “professor” because of how intelligent, disciplined and studious he was, and because he always seemed to be carrying school books with him.

“He was just a lovely human being and would go out of his way to be nice to people,” Rentas said.

After high school, Oquendo joined the military and was stationed at Camp Lejeune,N.C., before leaving for Vietnam, where he worked as a nurse.

“I told him to be careful before he left,” recalled Nida’s husband, John, who also served in the Marines and was at Camp Lejeune.

That was the last time the Campbell couple saw their friend. Oquendo was killed in action in 1966 while serving in the Vietnam War.

Forty-two years later, John and Nida Rentas found themselves honoring their fallen friend during Sunday’s 17th annual Laying of the Roses ceremony on Youngstown’s Central Square.