Traveling with Heroes: Remembering Vietnam
By: Justin Elbert
Issue date: 11/15/07 Section: News
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These are names of the eight men from Nacogdoches who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. Each of the names is inscribed on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., and on the 3/5 scale model of that memorial that was displayed in Palestine, Texas, this week.
When the Vietnam War began in 1959, no one thought it would last 16 grueling years. Nor did anyone think that the war would cost America tens of thousands of good men and women who died in that far-off land.
It started off as only a "police action" enacted by President Lyndon B. Johnson but quickly escalated into a full blown war that would eventually claim 58,256 lives.
The war was highly protested and very unpopular with Americans. It was a different war. It was a personal war where many young people died early into their tours of duty.
On Nov. 13, 1982, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial was constructed in Washington as a national war memorial honoring the members of the U.S. armed forces who gave their lives in service to our nation. The monument, almost 500 feet long and 10 feet tall, gets around 3 million visitors annually, and that number is increasing each year.
Greg Welsch, who travels with the 3/5 scale wall, said, "Our wall is here to bring healing power to cities across the United States.
"2007 is our first full year of touring, and we have had an excellent response from the community," Welsch said. "Local schools brought students here to see what we are doing. There were at least a couple of hundred kids just today."
Welsh also said that at (the Palestine) location they have had "over 4,000 people come by to see the wall."
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The Pine Log remembers one of its own.
Don Candler graduated from SFA in 1967 and while he was here he served as the editor of The Pine Log. Don was also a member of Alpha Phi Omega.
More info about Don can be found at the website bellow.
http://www.virtualwall.org/dc/CandlerDP01a.htm
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Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 3
Bill
posted 11/15/07 @ 8:00 PM CST
I am suprised that the Pine Log did not remember Don Candler, former editor of the Pine Log who died in Viet Nam. If you Google Don Candler you will find out more about Don. (Continued…)
Bill
posted 11/15/07 @ 10:45 PM CST
Thanks for the addendum to about Don. I knew him at SFA and recall the day we learned of his death on campus. It would be nice if you could do an article about Don and other former students of SFA that lost their lives in Viet Nam. (Continued…)
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