In Vietnam, commemorating Rockland’s fallen Vietnam veterans
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- November
- 26
During the humanitarian tour of Vietnam earlier this month, our group of Rotary Club members and Vietnam veterans from Rockland County and other parts of the country held three memorial services, honoring nine of Rockland County’s 46 fallen Vietnam veterans and other people who didn’t make it home from the conflict. My story about this ran in today’s Journal News: click here to read it.
During the final ceremony, held Nov. 16 in a deep grove of rubber trees between Cu Chi and Tay Ninh, several of the group members read poems and names out loud, before we dedicated the pile of flowers and burning incense. Click on the video link below to see some photographs from the memorial, and to hear the first and last poems, read by Howard Goldin, of Monsey, and Butch Sincock, of Pennsylvania. Both men served in the area with the 25th Infantry Division in 1968 – as did my father, but the three didn’t know each other back then.
Notice at the end, there’s a Vietnamese woman who walked up to the memorial as we were leaving, and tenderly adjusted some of the incense. Fortunately, I happened to look back before getting on the bus, got the shot and pointed it out to the others in our group. Everyone, including my father, was very moved by her actions.
I enjoyed reading your article . I am well aware of the intense emotion caused by the Vietnam War . My brother, 1st Lieutenant Francis L. Pearson USAR was a Ranger with the 1st Air Calvary. He was killed April 3, 1969 in Tay Ninh. Its good to know that others have not forgotten them. I thought that was a nice idea to retrieve some soil and rocks from Tay Ninh . I hope it gives the families of those who died some closure. Your trip appears to have been a success. Ken Pearson/Stony Point,NY