By Larry Coonrod, Lebanon Express writer | Posted: Wednesday, June 13, 2007 12:00 am
Vietnam vets tell class how much recognition meant
When Tom Owen landed at McCord Air force Base in Washington after a year in Vietnam, he and fellow soldiers were unprepared for the greeting that awaited them. Protesters pelted the bus carrying the soldiers to nearby Ft. Lewis with vegetables.
“It was kind of lonely coming home," Owen told a class of Lebanon High School students last Friday.
Owen, president of the Vietnam Veterans of America's Mid-Valley Chapter 585, and several other members of the group presented the LHS “Voices of the '60s" class with a certificate of appreciation plaque for their research project on Lebanon area men who died in Vietnam. Each student received a paper copy of the certificate and a POW-MIA pin from the veterans.
After talking to families and friends of those who died, students, working in teams of two or three, put together a DVD of interviews, old photos and home movies, which they presented to the public at the high school on May 30. Ginny Hoke, who along with Jennifer Walter taught the class, estimated that 300 people attended the presentation.
“The response from the public has just been overwhelming," Hoke said. “We've had calls from other people who knew these men and wanted to share their memories."
The veterans of Chapter 585 expressed gratitude that the class had honored the men who died so long ago.
“It's important people remember those who died and the amount of sacrifices that have been made to keep this country safe," said Ric Olson, who earned two Purple Hearts while serving as an infantryman with the 25th Infantry Division in Vietnam from 1969-1970.
Associate Chapter 585 member Pam Bush said she hoped the students “realized the magnitude of the gift you've given."
During Friday's presentation, Walter invited the men of Chapter 585 to share the memories of the war and their homecoming.
“I'd like you guys to come away with an appreciation of what happened to the men and women who came back," Walter told the class.
Their descriptions were brief and emotional. Many veterans are still unwilling to discuss their experiences nearly 40 years after they returned home.
Lebanon resident Wells Hickcox graduated from Lebanon Union High School and knew James Salisbury, one of the men from Lebanon who died. Hickcox served in an ordnance unit with the 5th Marines in Vietnam. He spoke for only a few minutes before having to leave the room to compose himself.
“I buried those memories a long time ago. It made it easier to deal with," he said later.
What started out as assignment for the “Voices of the '60s" class grew into something much more far reaching than any of the students had anticipated.
“It's been overwhelming," student Shawneen Santana said. “At the (May 30) presentation I turned around and everyone was crying. It was incredible."
As word spread of the project, the class learned of another area soldier, Randall Manela, who attended middle school in Lebanon before moving to Eugene. Manela died in a helicopter crash in 1969 while serving with the 1st Marine Division. Students Sydney Watts and Kayla Weeks are searching for family and anyone who knew Manela so they can add him to the men profiled in “Through Our Eyes: The Stories of Lebanon's Fallen Vietnam Soldiers." Anyone with information about Manela is encouraged to call Hoke or Walter at 541-485-8555, ext. 1136.
As the school year comes to a close, the class is rushing to put all their multimedia presentations onto the web (www.lhsvoicesofthesixties.blogspot.com) for public viewing.