Iowans who died, served in Vietnam War honored

Several hundred Iowans gathered Wednesday at the Iowa Vietnam Memorial to honor thousands of soldiers who served during the Indochina conflict and the more than 850 Iowans whose names are etched in black granite for giving their lives in service to their country.

The ceremony near the state Capitol building commemorated the 50th anniversary of the Gulf of Tonkin incident that led to the United States; involvement in the Vietnam War.

About 115,000 Iowans served in all branches of the military in Vietnam. Officials say 869 Iowans became casualties of the fighting; five Iowans earned the Medal of Honor for their bravery.

Wednesday's recognition day for Vietnam War veterans included proclamations, prayers, a 21-gun salute and speeches honoring those in attendance -- some who came by bus from the Iowa Veterans Home in Marshalltown -- for their heroism and remembering those who made the ultimate sacrifice.

'I think all of us have at least one name on that wall that we recognize and know,” said retired Col. Robert King, executive director of the Iowa Department of Veterans Affairs, who led the observance at the black granite wall that was dedicated in 1984 to soldiers who served in Vietnam and bears the names of the Iowans who died in combat.

Robert Myers, a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and decorated Vietnam War veteran who delivered the keynote address for the 2014 Vietnam Veterans Recognition Day Ceremony, spoke of the social turmoil and unpopular view of the war that gripped this nation throughout much of a conflict that stretched from 1961 to 1975.

'We served because our country called us to serve,” said Myers, 67, who was drafted into the Army right out of high school. 'Sadly, as we all know, when we returned home we were shunned, spat upon, threatened, yelled at and, it's an understatement to say, we were not treated well.”

For a time, he said, even in the Army soldiers were forbidden to talk about the war in Vietnam, and it was not part of the curriculum when he studied at a military school.

'It wasn't until years later that attitudes changed,” said Myers, who now serves as president and chief executive officer of Casey's General Stores.

Myers said those who gathered Wednesday came with their own unique stories and yet their experiences were the same in many respects.

'Some of us are multi-tour veterans, some of us paid a severe price for our service in the wounds incurred both visible and invisible, and some - like the names on this wall and the wall in Washington D.C. -- made the ultimate sacrifice,” he said.

'The bond that formed among us in combat many years ago transcends generations. It's not just our generation. It's all generations of veterans,” he added. 'We know the pain of the ultimate sacrifice others have paid for us. We have seen it. We have lived it.”

Myers recalled receiving a fax while stationed in Germany in January 1973 indicating a cease fire had been reached and a peace accord was to be signed. He said he got a 'sickening feeling” about the 58,000 young American men and women who had been killed in action, 300,000 soldiers who had been wounded and nearly 2,400 who were missing in action.

For their sake, he told those assembled at the memorial, 'we must not let others forget. This is a daily task.”

At the end of his remarks, he thanked the veterans in attendance for their service and offered them a salute.

The ceremony closed with a bugler playing 'Taps” and six members of a bagpipes and drum corps playing 'Amazing Grace.”