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Valley's Vietnam War fatalities not forgotten
By Sean Barron
YOUNGSTOWN
The fact that Zoey Douglas’ great-uncle was killed in action at a young age long before her time didn’t diminish her gratitude and appreciation for being able to honor him.
“It’s nice to be able to hear the names of people who served our country and died for us,” the 11-year-old New Middletown girl said, referring in part to Thomas F. Douglas, who died Nov. 22, 1965, in the Vietnam War at age 26. “It felt kind of different to see his name among the others.”
Zoey, her 9-year-old sister, Afton, and her grandparents, Bill and Sharon Douglas, came to Sunday afternoon’s annual Laying of the Roses ceremony on Central Square, downtown, to honor Thomas Douglas, one of the 100 Mahoning County service members killed during the war.
Also remembered and recognized were Howard B. Carpenter and Donald M. Klemm, both of whom are missing in action, along with military personnel currently serving.
The Vietnam Veterans of America’s Youngstown Chapter 135 hosted the somber 90-minute gathering, which largely was to commemorate the fallen military personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice for the nation.
“He was my big brother who fought with me unmercifully, but would fight for me,” Bill Douglas said with a chuckle about Thomas Douglas, who joined the Navy reserves while in high school in Warren before enlisting in the Marines.
While in the Marines, Thomas’ duties included serving as a flight mechanic. In addition, he embarked on supply missions and acted as a driver for a commanding officer in Okinawa, Bill said of his brother, who also had three children, two of whom still live in the area.
Thomas, whom Bill called “a career Marine,” was in a helicopter with three other men on a resupplying mission when they went down in Vietnam during a monsoon. About six months later, his identification was recovered, but the men and the helicopter were never found, Bill continued.
Family members, friends and fellow comrades placed red roses next to the Vietnam War Memorial as the names of the 100 fallen soldiers were read and a bell was rung. Many saluted or touched the names inscribed on the large marker, and a few cried.
The guest speaker was Judge Robert P. Milich of Youngstown Municipal Court, a retired Air Force colonel who also served in Operation Desert Storm in 1991.
“Sometimes we have short memories in this country and forget about things,” such as the fact that more than 58,000 men and women were killed in the Vietnam War, Judge Milich said before citing several other related statistics.
Of the names on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., 160 were Medal of Honor recipients and 120 were from other countries, he noted.
Also, three sets of fathers and sons are inscribed, including Air Force Technical Sgt. Richard B. Fitzgibbon Jr., who died June 8, 1956, and is said to have been the first American service member killed in the war. Fitzgibbon’s son, Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, was killed in combat Sept. 7, 1965, Judge Milich continued.
The judge also mentioned Air Force 2nd Lt. Richard Vandegeer, who was killed May 15, 1975, during an attempted rescue mission on Koh Tang Island off Cambodia.
Soldiers who returned home after having served in Desert Storm often were treated as heroes, which stood in stark contrast to the reception those who came back from Vietnam received, many of whom were treated as pariahs, Judge Milich explained.
The emotional ceremony also included a Table of Remembrance, on which were several items symbolizing the plight of prisoners of war and those missing in action.
The white tablecloth represented the pure intentions of those who served, a single red rose represented family members’ holding on to deep faith as they await their loved ones’ return, a lemon slice on a plate was a metaphor for the soldiers’ bitter fate, a shaker of salt stood for loved ones’ tears, and an inverted glass symbolized the fact that the missing service members are unable to propose a toast, said Ray Ornelas, Chapter 135’s district commander.