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New Veteran's Memorial In Seymour

Dedicated May 31, 2004

Gaiser Park

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Role of Veterans of the United States Armed Forces in the Class of 1964

Richard Able

Doug Brackemyre

P.F.C. Kenneth M. Branaman
01/10/1945-07/19/1966

Killed in action in Viet Nam

Kenny Branaman was drafted into the United States Army in September,1965. He completed his basic training November, 1965 at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He was then sent to Fort Ord, California in December 1965. He stayed at Fort Ord until he was sent to Vietnam in February, 1966. In Vietnam he served as an ammunition carrier with the 1st Battalion, 27th Infantry Brigade (Wolfhounds).  Kenny died July 19, 1966 when the Eagle flight he was a part of was ambushed.

Don Cooper

Mike Edwards

BIll Foster

Jerry Hatton

Larry Hatton

Roland Gregory

Kenny McKain

John Nolting

Stan Osterman

Tom Pfaffenberger

Maurice Robison

Tom Snyder

Mike Taylor

Bob Toborg

Jeff Tracey

Jerry VonDielingen

Don Weddle

Jimmy White

Earl Wonning

I was in the Marines from Oct. 13, 1968 through Oct. 13(a Friday but NOT an unlucky Friday), 1972. Part of that time 1970/71, I was with a Marine TAOC, Tactical Air Operations Central, unit on Monkey Mountain outside of Da Nang. I ran into Bill Foster on Kanahoe Bay Marine Corps Air Station, in Hawaii, just before I was getting ready to come stateside for some additional training before being shipping to FMF WestPac, Fleet Marine Force - Western Pacific. Spent some time in a staging area in Okinawa on the way to Nam and somemore time in a staging area there on the way back. The last few months in the "Crotch", as we used to call the Corps (I'm sure Tom P. remembers that term) were spent at Willow Grove Naval Air Station just North of Philadelphia training MC reserves.
Mike Taylor

Tom,
Great to hear from you. The list of "exotic places" you visited is astonishing, since it is also a list of where some of the most brutal fighting took place in Viet Nam. Glad you made it back to the world. I was south of you, in Cu Chi, Dau Tieng, Tay Ninh, the Michelin Rubber Plantation, etc. Also visited Cambodia for a couple of weeks, and was used as bait on patrol boats on the Mekong River.
Again, glad you made it back.
Sincerely,
Doug Brackemyre

Doug,
Great to hear from you too. See you took some of the scenic tours also. They made us cross our hearts and promise that we would never say that we crossed any borders. It is so good to hear that so many of our class who went made it back (even though returning wasn't the warmest welcome that I have ever received).
Tom Pfaffenberger

Jon I was in Viet Nam Nov 71 to April 72. I was an artillary Captain but had a desk job at an Army Airfield 90 miles south of Siagon
Tom Snyder

PS Bob Toborg was there in 67

Jon:
In reply about your e-mail to veterans. I served two tours of duty in Viet Nam the first was with the 4th Infantry Division in the central highlands near Pleiku and the other was with the 1st Field Force-Artillary at Nha Trang.

I could tell a lot of stories some humorous and some not so humorous. The story that I think the members of the Class of 64 will find the most interesting is about running into a classmate of ours. I was in base camp at a place called Dragon Mountain, where there was a community shower where the troops could go and get a hot shower. I was taking a shower and all lathered up with soap when this guy said to me "you're John Nolting" and I replied something to the effect "yes" thinking that it was someone from my outfit. He said to me you don't remember me, we graduated from high school together. I quickly grabbed my glasses and saw that it was Jeff Tracey. The sad part of this story is that Jeff is now deceased. Jeff's unit and my unit were headquartered next to each other in base camp. I had not been in country very long and Jeff was R&R'ing from wounds he had received in combat. Jeff and I, over the years, when we would see each other always laughed about how two country boys from Seymour stood in a shower half way around the world, stark naked no less, reminiscing about our days as Seymour Owls and the old Boy's Club.
Carrot Top you are sadly missed but not forgotten.
John Nolting

Doug, Just to let you know that I served in the Air Force from July 64 to May 69. I was fortunate not to have served in Viet Nam. I was stationed in Texas from basic until April 67 and was then transferred to Elmendorf, AK where I was discharged, May 69. I worked in food service and was one of several who supplied meals for the troops flying through Elmendorf to Viet Nam. I saw several of our servicemen going and several coming back.
Donald L. Weddle Sgt. USAF

Doug,

Here is my military information. Use as much or as little of it as you wish.

Name: Maurice David Robison
Branch of service: Army
Highest rank attained: Specialist 4th class
Dates of service: November 18, 1965 to November 18, 1967
Where stationed: Fort Knox, Kentucky; Fort Riley, Kansas; Phu Loi, Viet Nam; and Xuan Loc, Viet Nam. What I did: Initial Military Occupational Specialty (MOS); machinist, Secondary MOS; cook

I had my basic training at Fort Knox, Kentucky, then moved to Fort Riley, Kansas, with an MOS as a machinist. That company broke up and for whatever reason, I was sent to cook school. I cooked for the ROTC summer camp, then was transferred to the 758th Supply and Service Company, which was slated to go to Viet Nam.

After a couple of cancellations, we finally made it to Viet Nam, in March 1967. I was lucky enough to have been chosen to be a member of the advanced party. The company left about ten days before us and traveled to Viet Nam by ship. We stayed behind and prepared all the buildings in our compound to be turned over to the post engineers, then flew to Viet Nam, arriving at Bien Hoa Air Base about ten days before the rest of the company. We were moved to Long Binh for a couple of days, until they figured out that we were to be stationed at Phu Loi.

Our first week at Phu Loi was very busy. We put up 22 large tents, which would be the housing for the company, when they arrived, and the rest of the time was spent filling sand bags and building bunkers.

About a month into my tour, I was in a portion of our company which was moved to Xuan Loc to replace another company which was moving further north. However, because of heavy fighting there, after about a week, they were sent back to Xuan Loc and we were sent back to Phu Loi.

Phu Loi was a pretty safe compound. At that time, it was the largest helicopter base in Viet Nam. We had a mortar attack about every 50 days and one instance of "friendly fire". The VCs usually started about 2:30 AM, lobbing mortars onto the air field first, hoping to disable some helicopters, then continued stepping mortars across the post until the choppers got into the air and began firing at them. During one mortar attack, the tent next to ours was blown up, but we were safe in our bunker, about 20 feet from the site of impact.
Maurice Robison

Doug: I served as a Minuteman Missile Launch Officer with SAC in the USAF from '68 to '72. Other than short, temporary duty assignments, I spent my "career" at Ellsworth AFB in Rapid City, South Dakota. The good news: We were a successful deterrent to nuclear aggression around the world during my watch. The bad news: We didn't do anything to impact the "dirty little war" in Southeast Asia. -
Earl Wonning

Last Saturday, JCS and I dropped in on Larry Hatton and had a good visit with him. I just wish we had had more time. I was very surprised to find out that Larry and I were both in the 25th Infantry Division, and were in mostly the same places in Viet Nam. Larry joined the Army in 1965 and served in Viet Nam in 1966-1967. He went across the pond with the 196th Light Infantry Brigade, then later spent some time with the 4/23 Mechanized in Cu Chi. He was a squad leader, and spent some time as a "tunnel rat."

Larry told us one story that is of special interest to our class. As he was getting on his Freedom Bird to come home, another plane was unloading new guys just arriving in country. He thought he recognized one of them and called out his name. Sure enough, one of the guys getting off the plane turned his head and it was Jeff Tracey. They couldn't stop to talk of course, but Larry said he did have time to yell at Jeff to keep his head down.
Doug Brackemyre 5/27/04

I spent 5 wonderful days with my uncle Kenneth Foster (from Crothersville) in Nha Trang , I also visited and stayed with Jerry Goble ( from Cortland) he was an MP stationed also in Nha Trang Tent City . While on a convoy one day I crossed over a bridge ( can't remember the number or what date it was ) that was secured by Jimmy White we could only yell and wave at each other . Jimmy was my best man when I married my wife DaWinda . The day I was leaveing Nam on the Freedom Bird from the Air Base in Pleiku , I noticed a young blonde haired boy that looked like someone I should know , as I walked up to him I seen who he was . It was Mike Combs the younger brother of Linda Combs from Seymour . Mike just got off the plane and was heading for the in processeing station . Took basic traning ( 2 times second time I was 28 yr. old ) and AIT at Fort Knox , KY & Fort Campbell , Kentucky . I servied with the following units 1/506th Infantry 101st Airborne Division , 2/502nd Infantry 101st Airborne Division , 320th Field Artillery 101st Airborne Divison , 41st Field Artillery 3rd Infantry Division , 5th Medical Battalion 5th Infantry Division , 1st Avation Division , 5th Special Forces , 7th Army Support Command , 7th Army Combined Arms Training Center , 3/32nd Armor Battalion 3rd Armor Division , 212th Field Artillery Brigade 3rd Corp Field Artillery , 2/39th Field Artillery 5th Infantry Division . I was station at the following duty post Fort Knox , Kentucky / Fort Carson ,Colorado , Fort Campbell , Kentucky / Fort Sill , Oklahoma / Fort Polk , Louisiana . I was stationed in the following overseas locations Friedburg Germany , Grafenwohr Germany , Vilseck Germany , Frankfurt Germany , Manila Philippines (only 14 days), Panama Canal Zone (90 days), Barbados (only a 2 months to help plan the invation of Granada), Hohenfelds Germany . I have 2 years of college with the University of Maryland and Austin Peay State University . I was a class room instructor in the Non-Commissioned Officers Academy for 5 years , 2 years as the Chief Instructor of the Europe / Germany Traffic Laws School , 2 years as an instructor of Automated Data / Computer Security , and my last 2 years as an Instructor of Nuclear Security Team with the 3rd Inf. Div. at Fork Polk. Its hard to belive that so many of us were in the same places in Nam and how the heck did I miss John Nolting in Pleiku I flew spotter mission for the 4th Division Artillery , John what years were you there ???? Just wait till I see you in the store again John. Well I see him just this week and we had a long talk and it went like this I left in 28July 67 he got there in 4 Aug 67.
Bob Miller 8/2/04