This year, I'm thankful for ... veterans
Vietnam veterans are planning a downtown memorial.
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Petty Officer Jack Ziegler, front, with Sgts. Bob Garman, left, and Bill Smith. (Jason Malmont/The Sentinel)
Bob Hinkle had to wait a long time to hear the words “Thank you” for his service in Vietnam.
Only in the last decade have people come up to him to express their gratitude.
“It really has improved,” said Hinkle, who still remembers the mass protests and abuse of combat veterans returning stateside from overseas duty.
Now Hinkle and other members of the Carlisle Vietnam Veterans post are preparing a special salute to all Cumberland County residents who served in that long and bitter conflict.
The group plans to unveil next spring a war memorial of polished black granite in the Veterans’ Courtyard on the Square in Carlisle. As another Thanksgiving dawns, the group is thankful that the time is finally right to honor their fellow soldiers in what was a controversial conflict.
“We’ve been talking about this for about five to 10 years,” Hinkle said. “We only got the financing in the last couple of years.”
Special design
Measuring 2-by-3 feet, the memorial will be mounted on an 8-inch concrete base near the flagpole, said Hinkle, post commander.
The design will feature a Vietnam War service ribbon, the badges of the military service branches, the POW/MIA badge and a written dedication to the county war veterans, he added.
The design also includes two Huey helicopters -- common on the Vietnam battlefield -- along with a field cross made from the helmet, rifle and boots of comrades killed on the front, Hinkle said.
He called it “a dream come true” to have a place where local residents can come and remember their veterans beyond just Memorial Day or Veterans Day.
First Sergeant Bill Martin said the post is in the process of confirming a list of Cumberland County killed or missing in action from the Vietnam War. The goal is to include those names on the back of the memorial, either on a bronze plaque or engraved in the stone.
The marker is being made by Carlisle Memorial Service, Martin said. The stone has been delivered and is being worked on by the artist.
Memorial Day targeted
A dedication ceremony is planned for Memorial Day 2009, Martin said. The post already has permission from Cumberland County to place the memorial in the courtyard.
Post members have been able to raise the $4,000 needed for the memorial by parking cars during car shows, selling military memorabilia at community events and hosting an annual spaghetti dinner.
Hinkle sees the memorial as a promising step in the healing process for local Vietnam War veterans. He served two tours of duty with the Army -- first as a member of a Long Range Reconnaissance Patrol with the 4th Infantry Division from 1966 to 1967 and then as a door gunner on a Huey from 1968 to 1969. Hinkle was wounded twice.
“We were not honored coming back,” Hinkle said. “It’s about time Vietnam veterans get their recognition and be proud of what they did.”
Martin retired from the Army as a master sergeant after 24 years of service. He was a sergeant in intelligence for the second brigade, 1st Cavalry Division from 1967 to 1968. Martin is also encouraged by how the public appreciates more the service of Vietnam veterans and today’s military.
“People have finally woken up,” Martin said, adding that the soldiers merely did what they were told in Vietnam. “It was the politicians ... Don’t blame the soldier.”
